No fewer than 70 members of a local vigilante group are allegedly feared dead following a suspected ambush by armed bandits in Kukawa and Bunyun communities of Kanam Local Government Area, Plateau State. The incident occurred on Monday during a security patrol mission aimed at identifying criminal hideouts in the area.

The Chairman of the Kukawa Vigilante Group, Aliyu Baffa, confirmed the attack, stating that the incident occurred when a combined team of vigilantes from different formations in Wase LGA moved toward a suspected bandit hideout in the nearby forest reserve.

According to Baffa, the vigilantes were on a reconnaissance mission to identify criminal enclaves in the forest popularly known as Madam Forest, which shares boundaries with Bauchi and Taraba States. However, they were ambushed less than a kilometer from Kukawa town by heavily armed bandits wielding sophisticated weapons.

“They took us by surprise,” Baffa said. “More than 70 of our men were killed on the spot. By evening, we had already buried them in Kukawa, but several others are still missing. We fear more bodies may be found in the surrounding bushes.”

He added that the attackers appeared to have prior knowledge of the movement of the vigilante team, suggesting a planned and coordinated assault.

In Bunyun village, which was also affected, a resident, Musa Ibrahim, told reporters that at least 10 members of the local security team were killed in a similar attack. The bandits, according to him, also set several houses ablaze during their raid on the community.

“We lost 10 of our local defenders here. The bandits not only attacked, they burned down many houses and caused panic across the village,” Ibrahim lamented.

The incident has sparked fresh concerns over the growing audacity of armed groups operating in the forested regions of Plateau State and neighboring areas. As of the time of filing this report, security agencies are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.