Villagers in Taraba count 40 dead after motorcycle ambush

Residents of Binnari village in Taraba State are counting bodies in the wake of a violent ambush that left at least 40 people dead, according to survivors and a human rights group. Police initially reported 10 confirmed deaths, a figure that has been challenged by local accounts and new evidence found on Saturday.

The attack began just after Friday prayers when a large group of gunmen arrived on approximately 50 motorcycles. Each bike carried two armed men. The raiders swept through the village, opening fire on residents and looting local shops. They seized cash, foodstuffs, and other provisions. They also took motorcycles left behind by people fleeing the scene.

Police stated on Saturday that 10 bodies had been recovered by Friday evening. However, Amnesty International issued a statement on Saturday claiming the death toll had risen to 40. The organization noted that while police first confirmed 10 deaths, additional bodies were discovered later that same day. Survivors provided varying but higher estimates to news agencies.

Sa'idu Nuhu, a resident of Binnari, told the AFP news agency that his neighbors counted more than 20 bodies after the attackers withdrew. He said some people remained missing. Isiyaku Musa, another resident, offered a similar account, placing the death toll at no fewer than 20 people. Community leader Malam Abubakar Saifullahi described the scale of the force used against the village.

Saifullahi said the assailants arrived in a coordinated wave of about 50 motorcycles. He detailed the looting, noting that the group took cash and food from shops and seized abandoned bikes. The community is now grappling with the discrepancy between the official police count and the higher numbers cited by survivors and Amnesty International.

Amnesty International criticized Nigerian authorities for leaving rural communities vulnerable. The group said officials allow gunmen to commit atrocities with impunity in parts of the north. Banditry has intensified in central and northwest Nigeria, where armed gangs raid villages for ransom and levy taxes on farmers and miners in areas with limited state presence.

The violence in Taraba occurred the same day the Nigerian military reported a separate engagement in the northeast. In Borno State, the military said it killed 15 armed fighters in an air strike. This event marks a distinct incident from the Binnari raid but adds to the tally of armed conflict across the country.