52 Buried, Baby Shot: Bandits Kill Over 50 In Taraba’s Binnari Market Attack

An attack launched by gunmen suspected to be bandits on Binnari town in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State has reportedly claimed over 50 lives, including women and children.

Daily Trust gathered that 51 people were buried on Saturday and one more body was recovered on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 52. Several others, including a six-month-old baby, Adamu Rayyanu, sustained gunshot wounds.

Amnesty International Nigeria said 40 people were killed in the attack which occurred on Friday, noting that additional bodies were still being discovered.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State Command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, however said only 10 people were killed.

Several persons are still missing as search for more bodies inside the bush and Binnari River continues.

Jibri Dabo, a boat operator in Binnari, told Daily Trust that he led a team of local divers who recovered 41 bodies from the river.

He said when bandits invaded the town shortly after Jumu’at prayers, people ran in different directions and most drowned in the river while escaping.

“Most people drowned inside the river while escaping from the attack. Most of those who drowned were people who attended the market from Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau states and could not swim,” Dabo said.

He added that victims also included labourers from Jigawa and Yobe who came to work in rice farms, and that some bandits observed Friday prayers with residents before opening fire.

“Shortly after the Friday prayers at about 3pm, bandits entered the town and opened fire in different directions and everybody started running,” he said.

Dabo said the bandits operated for close to three hours, killing and looting shops, while police came around 9am on Saturday and soldiers arrived in the evening.

Amnesty International described the attack as “utter disdain for the sanctity of life,” calling for an impartial investigation.

“The community is now littered with dead bodies, some burnt beyond recognition, as families declare many still missing. The Nigerian authorities continue to leave rural communities in some parts of the north at the mercy of gunmen who repeatedly commit atrocities with impunity,” the organisation said.

Adama Rayyanu, mother of the six-month-old baby shot in the foot, said she was running to enter a boat when bandits pursued them to the river.

Alhaji Tanko Andami, a community leader, said gunmen looted shops and carted away motorcycles, cash and foodstuffs.

Governor Agbu Kefas has ordered security agencies to restore calm and bring perpetrators to justice, while approving N1 billion for the Bureau for Peace and Conflict Management.