Plateau clash: Only five vigilantes killed, not 70 — Wase chairman debunks report

Contrary to the report that over 70 vigilantes were killed in a clash with bandits in border communities between Kanam and Wase local government areas of Plateau State, the chairman of the latter, Hamish Anani, has declared that only five persons were killed.

There was an early report by a section of the media that 70 vigilantes were killed in an encounter with bandits in a border area of Kukawa and Bunyun communities of Kanam and Wase local government areas of Plateau State on Monday.

In an interview on Tuesday, Wase Council boss Anani said the report of 70 killed was unfounded, adding that the attack on the bandits on Monday around Kukawa and Bunyun Communities in Wase was highly successful, while many bandits were routed.

According to him, based on the available figures, only five vigilantes were killed, while four are currently on admission, adding that of the four, three were transferred to Bauchi Hospital, while one is recuperating in Wase Hospital.

“Yes, the attack was true, but unfortunately I saw a report this morning that 70 vigilantes were killed. The attack against the bandits was highly successful. We killed many of them, and others retreated into the bush with a lot of injuries.

“As the chief security officer of Wase Local Government, I am categorically telling you that the report is not true. If 70 vigilantes were killed, we should be having a mass burial by now. We only buried five people, and four others were injured and are currently in the hospital. Three were taken to Bauchi, and one was admitted to Wase Hospital.

“We have checked, and we don’t know the chairman of the vigilante group who told that story. We’re trying to locate him to show us where he buried the 70 people.”

In an early report, a group of vigilantes were said to be on their way to launch an attack on bandits at their hideout but were ambushed before they got to the forest where they were hibernating, and 70 of the vigilantes were killed in the shootout that ensued.

Aliyu Baffa, chairman of the vigilante group in Kukawa, told newsmen that “more than 70 vigilantes were killed” in the ambush, adding that more bodies could be recovered in the bush.

According to the vigilante chairman, the clash occurred just a kilometer away from the main Kukawa town, when bandits ambushed the vigilantes as they were heading to a bandit hideout located in the government reserve forest popularly known as Madam Forest, which shares a border with the Bauchi and Taraba communities.

According to the vigilante chairman, the clash occurred just a kilometer away from the main Kukawa town when bandits ambushed the vigilantes as they were heading to a bandit hideout located in the government reserve forest, popularly known as Madam Forest, which shares a border with Bauchi and Taraba communities.

Baffa further alleged that several vigilante bodies were recovered from farm lands after the clash, saying, “We have buried more than 60 in Kukawa alone. It’s likely that more bodies could be recovered from either side. Some bandits who escaped confirmed the vigilantes were overwhelmed by the bandits.”

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