No fewer than 20 security personnel and local vigilantes have been killed after heavily armed terrorists ambushed a patrol team in the Garga area of Kanam Local Government Area.
The tragic attack occurred around 4 p.m. on Friday when a combined patrol team made up of military personnel and community vigilantes came under intense gunfire near Wanka while conducting a routine security operation across Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau and neighbouring communities.
The incident took place in Plateau State, a region that has experienced recurring security challenges in recent years.
According to a statement issued on Saturday by the Kanam Development Association, at least 12 security personnel, including two senior military officers, were killed during the fierce gun battle. Eight vigilante members who had joined the patrol team in defence of their communities also lost their lives.
Although some of the attackers were reportedly neutralised during the exchange of gunfire, the terrorists later advanced into Kyaram community where they looted property worth millions of naira and rustled a large number of cattle belonging to residents.
The association described the attack as part of a prolonged wave of insecurity affecting border communities linking Plateau with Taraba State and Bauchi State.
In the statement jointly signed by its chairman, Garba Aliyu, and secretary, Shehu Kanam, the group expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and condemned what it described as the continued freedom with which terrorists operate in the volatile border corridor.
The association noted that the affected communities have suffered repeated incidents of terrorism, cattle rustling, kidnappings and destruction of property over the past three to four years despite multiple appeals to authorities for intervention.
They called on the local government authorities, the Plateau State Government and the Federal Government to urgently address the worsening security situation.
Among their demands were the immediate deployment of additional military and security forces to Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, Wanka and nearby communities, as well as the establishment of permanent security outposts in the vulnerable border areas.
“We called for enhanced coordinated operations along the Plateau-Taraba-Bauchi border as well as relief support for victims who have lost livelihoods, homes, and livestock,” the statement said.
The group stressed that the affected residents are peaceful citizens whose primary activities are farming and raising families, urging authorities to treat the situation as both a national security and humanitarian emergency.
The association also extended condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, families of the slain soldiers and vigilantes, and the communities mourning the victims.
What you should know
Kanam Local Government Area in Plateau State lies close to the borders of Taraba and Bauchi states, making it a strategic but vulnerable corridor often targeted by armed groups.
Communities in the area have faced repeated attacks involving cattle rustling, kidnappings and armed raids in recent years.
Local groups have consistently called for stronger military presence and coordinated security operations to prevent terrorists from exploiting the porous borders between the three states.
