Death Toll From Taraba Community Attack Hits 50 as Govt Delivers Relief Materials

The death toll from a suspected bandit attack on Binnari community in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State has risen from the 10 initially reported by the police to 50, according to community accounts.
Gunmen invaded the community on Friday, shortly after Jumu’ah prayers, shooting sporadically, looting food items and residential houses, and setting shops and motorcycles ablaze.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Taraba State Police Command confirmed that 10 bodies bearing gunshot wounds had been recovered from the scene.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Victor Mshelizah, said the attackers were large in number and invaded the village with heavy gunfire, causing panic among residents.
“Upon receipt of the report, police operatives were immediately mobilised to the scene, where ten (10) bodies bearing gunshot wounds were recovered,” Mshelizah said in a statement.
“The corpses were subsequently handed over to the families for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.”
The police said additional personnel had been placed on red alert, while joint reinforcement teams comprising the Police Tactical Units, Police Mobile Force, conventional police, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies had been deployed to the area.
However, community accounts put the death toll at 50 following further searches in nearby bushes and a river.
According to the community’s account, after the initial 10 bodies were found, 27 more were recovered following an intensive search of the surrounding bushes.
Another 13 bodies, mostly those of children, were subsequently found in a river and nearby bushes. Some had reportedly drowned, while others were hit by stray bullets.
Residents said the attackers crossed into the community from neighbouring Plateau State with sophisticated weapons.
The community also alleged that Binnari had been attacked three times by armed groups.
The Commander of the Hunters Association, Babangida Ibrahim, said police officers and Nigerian Army personnel responded after the alarm was raised, forcing the attackers to flee as security operatives approached.
He said the intervention helped limit the casualties.