Bandits abduct palace aides, torch homes in Plateau’s Wase LGA

Summary

• Attackers kidnap three people, including two traditional palace officials
• Homes razed in Bunyun community, prompting mass displacement
• Incident follows killing of over 70 vigilantes in nearby areas earlier in July

Jos, Nigeria – Suspected bandits launched a fresh attack on Bunyun community in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State on Thursday, July 10, abducting three individuals, including two key palace officials, and setting several homes ablaze. The violence forced residents to flee en masse to nearby towns, leaving the community largely deserted.

The kidnapped individuals include the Waziri and Wakili, traditional administrators of the local palace, with the latter confirmed to be the younger brother of a community member identified as Muhammad.

In an atmosphere of panic, residents fled to Bashar town, seeking refuge from the ongoing violence. “Everybody has fled because people are afraid to remain in the area,” said Muhammad, describing the community’s plight as “completely confused.”

The raid comes just four days after a brutal ambush in the same area where over 70 vigilantes were killed in Kukawa and Bunyun during an attempted operation targeting suspected bandit camps in Madam Forest.

Musa Ibrahim, a Bunyun resident, confirmed that at least 10 vigilantes were killed in his community alone during the July 6 incident, with several homes also torched.

The back-to-back attacks have heightened fears and renewed concerns over the region’s worsening security. The Bashar District and other parts of Wase and Kanam LGAs have been grappling with recurring bandit incursions, with communities bearing the brunt of kidnappings, arson, and armed confrontations.

In a show of defiance, local vigilante leader Abdullahi Hussaini vowed to continue resisting the armed gangs. “We will never surrender to the bandits and kidnappers. It’s either they leave Wase or repent, or we continue to fight them to the last breath,” he said, calling for public support and prayers.

Despite occasional successes, such as the rescue of a kidnapped victim and the neutralisation of a bandit in nearby Sabon Gari on July 2, security forces have struggled to stem the tide of violence in Plateau’s rural areas. The Plateau State Police Command has yet to issue a statement on the latest abductions, a silence that reflects the broader challenges of timely official communication in the wake of rural attacks.

The attack adds to the troubling toll of violence across Nigeria. Over 2,200 people have been killed in the first half of 2025 alone due to factional violence involving criminal gangs, armed militias, and vigilante groups.

The unrelenting insecurity has rendered many farming communities unsafe and stoked calls for the establishment of dedicated units like a Forest Marshal Unit and an Intelligence Research Centre to help security agencies prevent attacks before they occur.

As Bunyun reels from destruction and displacement, the urgency for coordinated and proactive security interventions grows more apparent, with residents demanding not just relief but protection from what has become a near-daily threat to life and livelihood.