From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
No fewer than five members of a local vigilance group were reportedly killed and many bandits neutralised in a clash between the two groups in Kukawa and Bunyun Communities of Kanam local government area of Plateau state.
However reports say that more than 70 vigilantes were killed in the clash.
But Chairman of Wase Local Government Areas, Hamish Anani, told Daily Sun in a telephone conversation that the report was totally unfounded.
According to him, the attack on bandits around Kukawa and Bunyun Communities in Wase was highly successful and many bandits were routed.
He said that the community buried only five vigilantes while four are currently on admission, adding that of the four, three were transferred to Bauchi hospital while one is recuperating in Wase hospital.
Anani said, “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 injured and are currently in hospital. Three were taken to Bauchi and one admitted in 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.”
Eye witness Residents of the area said that the incident occurred around 2 pm when hundreds of vigilantes from Wase local government area were on their way to bandits’ hideouts, but were ambushed.
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 know as Madam forest which shares border with 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.”
Musa Ibrahim, a resident of Bunyun, Nyalun ward, Bashar district, Wase Local Government Area, also confirmed the bandits attacked the community and killed ten vigilantes who were providing security in the area ,adding that the bandits also burned many houses in the community.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, told our correspondent in a telephone chat that he’s not aware of the clash.