The death toll from a gunmen’s attack on Binnari community in Taraba State has risen to at least 50 after more bodies were discovered, according to survivors and Amnesty International.
The victims were killed when gunmen suspected to be members of a bandit gang attacked the community in eastern Taraba shortly after Friday prayers, looting and setting fire to shops and market stalls.
A resident, Bashir Mamuda Musa, told AFP that seven bodies were found on Friday after the attack, while another 43 were discovered in a river on Saturday.
“On Friday, we found seven bodies after the bandits attacked our community,” Musa said.
“The following day, Saturday, we discovered another 43 bodies in the river, bringing the total to 50,” he added.
Another resident, Abdullahi Zakari, confirmed the revised death toll, saying women and children were among those who fled towards the river to escape the gunmen.
“Unfortunately, several people drowned while trying to flee the attack,” Zakari told AFP.
Victims drowned while fleeing, police say
Taraba State Police Command spokesman, Victor Msheliza, told AFP on Sunday that officers were still searching the area for victims.
He confirmed that some bodies were recovered from the river, where residents had attempted to escape the attackers.
Msheliza said police officers were deployed to the community shortly after the attack, with additional personnel sent to the area.
Amnesty International, however, put the death toll at 52 as of Sunday, indicating a discrepancy in the figures reported by residents and the rights organisation.
The organisation said the attackers arrived in large numbers, set shops and market stalls ablaze, and chased residents towards the river.
Amnesty International Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, told AFP that some victims drowned while attempting to escape, while others were allegedly chased into the river by the gunmen.
Amnesty blames authorities over insecurity
Amnesty International criticised Nigerian authorities over what it described as the failure to protect rural communities from repeated attacks.
In a post on X, the organisation said some communities had been left “at the mercy of gunmen that repeatedly commit atrocities with impunity”.
It added that the authorities’ “consistent failure” to bring suspected perpetrators to justice was emboldening further violence.
Banditry remains a major security challenge in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the northwest and central regions, where armed gangs attack rural communities, abduct residents for ransom and kill victims.
The gangs also target farmers and mining operations in areas where security forces face difficulties reaching vulnerable communities.
Taraba State lies between northeastern Nigeria, which has experienced a prolonged jihadist insurgency, and the country’s central region, which has also faced persistent attacks by armed criminal groups.
The latest attack has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of rural communities and the difficulties security agencies face in preventing violence and recovering victims in hard-to-reach areas.
