Eight people have been killed in a deadly ambush on Kukawa village, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, following an attack by armed men suspected to be bandits.
The incident, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, reportedly involved a group of fighters who arrived on motorcycles and claimed they were on a mission to combat bandits terrorising the region.
According to the village head of Kukawa, Ismail Isa Kukawa, the assailants—identified as members of a group known as “Hulabe” and numbering over 300—stormed the community under the guise of protecting it, only to unleash chaos shortly after.
“They said they came to fight bandits. But moments later, they began looting shops and shooting sporadically to scare villagers away, carting off goods and valuables,” Mallam Isa recounted.
The attackers reportedly retreated into the nearby bush after the raid. On their way out of the village, they killed two traders who were heading to the local market, the village head added.
Mallam Isa expressed dismay that the group, initially claiming to combat bandits, had instead engaged in criminal activities—raiding shops and making away with goods valued at millions of naira
Monday’s assault was said to have taken place in border communities shared between Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba states —areas that have witnessed repeated bandit attacks in recent months.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of a vigilante group that had earlier launched a pursuit of the bandits across Wase and Kanam LGAs remain unknown, raising further concern among residents.
Commenting on the situation, the Secretary of the Kanam Development Association, Shehu Kanam, said Kukawa village, which shares borders with Bauchi and Taraba States, has suffered sustained assaults by criminal elements, resulting in loss of lives and destruction of property.
