Binnari residents say 40 died in raid, police count 10

Violence linked to banditry has escalated in Nigeria, with a recent assault on a village in Taraba State leaving officials and residents in disagreement over the final death toll.

Police confirmed on Saturday that 10 bodies were recovered by Friday evening following the attack on Binnari village. The force stated that a large group of gunmen on motorcycles carried out the raid, during which they also looted food from local shops.

Survivors of the attack provided a different account to the AFP news agency, reporting that at least 20 people died. Sa'idu Nuhu, a resident of Binnari, said the gunmen opened fire just after Friday prayers. "After the attackers left, we counted more than 20 bodies, and some people were still missing," Nuhu stated. Another resident, Isiyaku Musa, corroborated that the death toll was no fewer than 20.

Amnesty International raised the estimate further in a statement released on Saturday, claiming that 40 people were killed. The human rights group noted that while police initially confirmed 10 deaths, additional bodies were discovered later on Saturday. Amnesty criticized Nigerian authorities for leaving rural communities in the north at the mercy of gunmen who commit atrocities with impunity.

Malam Abubakar Saifullahi, a community leader, described the attackers as arriving on approximately 50 motorcycles with two men on each. He said the assailants looted shops, taking cash, foodstuffs, and other provisions. Saifullahi added that the gunmen also seized motorcycles that residents had abandoned while fleeing the scene.

Banditry has become a growing issue in northwest and central Nigeria, where gangs clash with police and military forces in remote areas. Taraba, a central eastern state, faces these non ideological groups that raid villages, kidnap people for ransom, and levy taxes on farmers and miners. In a separate incident on Saturday, the Nigerian military announced it had killed 15 terrorists in an airstrike in Borno State.