At least 20 people have reportedly been killed after gunmen on motorcycles attacked Binnari community in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, setting houses ablaze and looting shops and food supplies.
The attack occurred shortly after Friday’s Juma’at prayers on October 23, 2026, forcing residents to flee their homes as the assailants opened fire on the community.
While residents put the death toll at more than 20, the Taraba State Police Command said 10 bodies had been recovered as of Friday evening, with fears that additional victims remained missing.
Two residents, Isiyaku Musa and Sa’idu Nuhu, told AFP that at least 20 people had died in the attack.
“People were running in different directions to escape the attack. Nobody knew where it was safe to go,” Musa said.
Nuhu said more than 20 bodies were counted after the attackers left, adding that some residents were still missing.
A community leader, Malam Abubakar Saifullahi, said the gunmen arrived on about 50 motorcycles, with two men riding on each motorcycle, before launching the assault.
According to him, the attackers looted shops, carting away cash, foodstuffs and other provisions. They also reportedly took motorcycles abandoned by residents fleeing the violence.
The attack also left several houses burnt and food supplies destroyed, worsening the hardship faced by residents who escaped the violence.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Taraba State Command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, said preliminary information indicated that the assailants initially targeted food items and other valuables.
“There was an incident like that yesterday, immediately after Friday’s prayers,” he said.
“From the preliminary report, it was revealed that the people initially came to steal food stuff and other valuables.”
Mshelizah said security operatives had recovered 10 bodies as of Friday evening, adding that the identities of the attackers had yet to be established.
He assured residents that the police would intensify efforts to protect lives and property.
Local sources also suggested that the assailants might have entered the community from neighbouring Plateau State, although the claim has not been independently verified.
The attack has renewed concerns over the vulnerability of rural communities in Taraba State to armed violence, particularly in areas where security presence is limited.
Banditry has become a growing challenge across parts of northern and central Nigeria, with armed gangs frequently raiding communities, stealing valuables, kidnapping residents for ransom and imposing illegal levies on farmers and miners.
Although northeastern Nigeria has endured a prolonged jihadist insurgency since Boko Haram launched its uprising in 2009, Taraba and neighbouring areas have also faced attacks attributed to criminal gangs whose activities are largely driven by financial gain.
Reacting to the latest incident, Amnesty International Nigeria criticised the authorities over what it described as the continued failure to protect rural communities from repeated attacks.
“The Nigerian authorities continue to leave rural communities in some parts of the north at the mercy of gunmen that are repeatedly commit atrocities with impunity,” the organisation said.
It added that the failure to bring suspected perpetrators to justice was emboldening further violence.
Residents are now mourning lost relatives and assessing the destruction caused by the attack, while calls for stronger security measures have intensified to prevent further bloodshed in Binnari and surrounding communities.
