At least 50 killed as gunmen raid Taraba community

By: Tunji Okunlola

At least 50 people have died in an attack on Binnari, a community in eastern Taraba State, Nigeria, on Friday, October 23, after further bodies were recovered from a nearby river on October 24, according to survivors and Amnesty International.

Witnesses said armed men on motorcycles descended on the community soon after Friday prayers, shooting residents and looting shops and market stalls before setting them on fire.

Resident Bashir Mamuda Musa told AFP that seven bodies were recovered on Friday and 43 more were pulled from the river the next day, giving a toll of 50. Amnesty International later raised the figure to 52 in a Sunday statement.

Many of the dead appear to have drowned while fleeing. Another resident, Abdullahi Zakari, told AFP that women, children and others ran to the river to escape the attackers, and several did not survive the crossing. Amnesty said the assailants came in large numbers and chased people toward the water. Isa Sanusi, the group’s Nigeria director, told AFP that some residents were driven into the river and drowned.

Taraba State Police spokesperson Victor Msheliza acknowledged that some victims had been found in the river. He said officers were still combing the area and that more personnel were being deployed after those already sent to the scene.

The attack underlines the insecurity facing rural Nigeria. Taraba lies between the northeast, where jihadist groups have been active for years, and the central region, where criminal gangs have also carried out attacks. These gangs, commonly called bandits, prey on poorly policed rural communities through kidnappings, killings and ransom demands. They also raid villages and extort illegal levies from farmers and mining operations where government presence is thin.

Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian authorities of failing to protect rural communities and to bring suspects to justice. In a post on X, the organisation said the lack of prosecutions for such attacks was fuelling impunity.

The death toll has not been confirmed, and police are still searching the area.

Source: AFP