Death toll rises after gunmen attack village in north-east Nigeria

Gunmen attacked Binnari, in Nigeria’s north-eastern Taraba state, on Friday 23 October, firing on residents and looting food from shops, according to police. Officers initially recovered 10 bodies with gunshot wounds, but subsequent accounts indicate the toll is much higher.

Channels Television reports that searches by community leaders and young people in surrounding bushes and rivers recovered 37 bodies. Amnesty International Nigeria says at least 40 people were killed. Its Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, told the BBC that bereaved families had spoken of as many as 50 deaths. These figures are not separate groups of victims, and the final toll remains uncertain.

Two residents told AFP they had counted at least 20 dead. One of them, Sa’idu Nuhu, said some people were still missing. A community leader told the agency that the attackers arrived on about 50 motorcycles and took cash, food and other goods from shops. Local sources also told Premium Times that houses were burnt and residents fled to neighbouring communities.

Police say reinforcements have been sent to the Karim Lamido area. Amnesty has called for an impartial investigation and better protection for rural communities. The attackers have not been identified.