Gunmen killed residents and looted shops in Binnari, Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State, on Friday, October 23. Police put the death toll at 10, while a resident gave a higher count.
The attack happened on the town’s market day, when residents said the market was crowded.
Police spokesperson ASP Victor Mshelizah confirmed the attack and the 10 deaths to Daily Post. He said security personnel had been deployed to the area.
Yahuza Binnari, a resident who told Daily Trust he had fled to a nearby village, said residents counted more than 18 bodies after the attackers left and that several people were still missing.
A community leader, Alhaji Tanko Andami, told Daily Trust the attackers arrived on about 50 motorcycles, with two men on each. He said they looted cash, food supplies and other provisions from shops and took new motorcycles whose owners had fled.
Yahuza said some gunmen blocked the entrances to the town while others entered the market and began shooting. He said residents planned to bury those killed and search for people still missing.
Vanguard, citing a statement from the Taraba police command, reported that officers from Binnari police station and community volunteers recovered 10 bodies with gunshot wounds. The statement said the bodies had been handed to families for burial.
According to the police account carried by Vanguard, Commissioner of Police Edwin Ogbeghagha ordered joint tactical teams involving police, mobile police and the Army to search the surrounding area. The command urged residents to share information that could help locate the attackers.
Sources: Daily Trust, Daily Post, Vanguard
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