At least 70 community security volunteers have been killed in a sudden attack by a bandit group in Plateau State, a central region of Nigeria devastated by violence.
On Wednesday, several local residents and a volunteer leader from Plateau State reported the death toll resulting from the bandits’ ambush on the volunteer security forces.
Volunteer leader Aliyu Baffa said the attack occurred around 1:00 PM local time on Monday in the Kukawa and Bunuin areas of Kanam district in Plateau State. Hundreds of community volunteer security personnel were ambushed while heading toward the “Madam Forest,” known to be a stronghold of heavily armed bandits.
Aliyu Baffa stated that more than 70 volunteer security personnel were killed in the surprise attack. He also indicated that more bodies may be found in the area.
In a phone interview with Reuters, the Plateau-based volunteer leader said that more than 60 volunteer security workers have already been buried in Kukawa alone.
Musa Ibrahim, a local resident of Bunuin, said that 10 volunteer security personnel were killed in Bunuin during the attack, and the bandits also set several houses on fire.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, has seen a significant rise in violence in recent months. Organized criminal gangs or militia groups frequently carry out deadly attacks on civilians across various parts of the country. In the first half of this year alone, 2,266 people have been killed in such attacks.
However, Reuters reported that the Plateau State police have not yet commented on the attack.
