The number of people killed in a deadly assault on Binnari community in Nigeria’s north-eastern Taraba State has increased to at least 48, according to police reports.
Armed men riding motorcycles stormed the settlement shortly after Friday’s Muslim prayers, ransacking businesses, stealing valuables and setting residential buildings on fire. The violence reportedly continued for nearly four hours.
Authorities initially recorded 10 fatalities, but additional corpses were discovered on Sunday.
Taraba police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah explained that several residents drowned while fleeing, while others were found dead in surrounding vegetation.
However, Amnesty International’s Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, said the organisation had verified 52 deaths through eyewitness accounts and information obtained from local residents.
Community head Malam Abubakar Saifullahi told AFP that approximately 50 motorcycles, each carrying two assailants, were involved in the raid.
The perpetrators allegedly seized money, groceries, household supplies and motorcycles left behind by fleeing villagers.
Survivor Isiyaku Musa described the panic that engulfed the settlement, saying residents scattered in different directions without knowing which places offered protection. Another inhabitant, Sa’idu Nuhu, reported that several individuals remained unaccounted for.
Police personnel arrived following an emergency alert but found that the assailants had escaped.
Officers subsequently conducted patrols to prevent further disturbances, although the difficult landscape reportedly favoured the attackers.
Amnesty International has demanded an independent investigation, criticising the government for failing to adequately protect isolated communities from recurring armed violence.
Nigeria’s north-eastern, north-western and central regions have endured prolonged insecurity linked to extremist organisations and criminal gangs responsible for deadly raids, kidnappings and ransom demands.
The latest incident comes ahead of next year’s national elections, with worsening insecurity expected to become a major issue during political campaigns.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong