Bandits Ambush Security Forces in Plateau State: Four Killed in Dogon Ruwa Attack
By Chris | Published July 30, 2025, 08:00 AM WAT
Dogon Ruwa, Plateau State – July 30, 2025 – In a daring overnight raid, suspected bandits ambushed a joint team of soldiers and vigilantes in the Dogon Ruwa community, Wase LGA, Plateau State, killing at least two soldiers and two vigilante members. The attack, which occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, has renewed calls for urgent security reforms in Nigeria’s embattled North-Central region.
According to local chief Abdullahi Yakubu of Safiyo, the security team was responding to an attempted invasion when the assailants, lying in wait, opened fire in a well-coordinated ambush. The attackers reportedly seized rifles and uniforms from the slain personnel, sparking fears of increased militarization of criminal elements in the area.
“Our people are living in fear. After killing the security men, they took their weapons and uniforms,” Yakubu told reporters.
A Pattern of Escalating Violence
The ambush comes amid a disturbing rise in coordinated attacks across Plateau State. Data compiled by Reuters (July 2025) indicates that over 2,200 Nigerians have been killed by armed groups in the first half of 2025 alone, with recent attacks in Kanam LGA leaving eight vigilantes dead earlier this month.
Security experts warn that the scale and planning of these assaults suggest links to organized non-state actors or insurgent groups rather than ordinary criminals. A 2025 Woodrow Wilson Center report urges a reclassification of these bandit networks as hybrid militant organizations, requiring advanced counter-insurgency strategies.
Government and Military Response
While the Plateau State Police Command has yet to release an official statement, Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH) confirmed that search and rescue operations have been launched to track the perpetrators and recover stolen arms.
Local leaders are demanding stronger intelligence-sharing and rapid-response mechanisms. “We need more proactive measures to avoid being outmaneuvered by these criminals,” Yakubu stressed.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang is expected to convene an emergency security meeting to address the escalating crisis, calling previous attacks “barbaric and unjustified.”
