Armed gunmen killed at least 58 people in Binnari, a rural community in Taraba State's Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, during a four-hour rampage on Friday, October 23, that targeted residents gathered for the settlement's weekly market.
The Taraba State Police Command confirmed the toll, which includes 15 people who drowned after cramming into a canoe to cross a nearby river as they fled the attackers. As reported by Premium Times, police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah said search teams recovered additional bodies from surrounding bushes and the river over subsequent days.
The figure marks a steep rise from the 10 deaths initially reported by police on Friday, with community accounts putting the number at 40 or 50 before the official count climbed further.
Market Day Turns Deadly
The timing of the attack compounded the tragedy. Binnari's weekly market draws farmers, traders and buyers from neighbouring settlements, making it one of the busiest days in the community's calendar. According to residents, the gunmen arrived in large numbers on motorcycles shortly after Friday congregational prayers and immediately opened fire. They went on to loot shops, seize cash, food supplies and motorcycles, and set homes and property alight before withdrawing.
Community leader Abubakar Saifullahi told Agence France-Presse that the assailants took provisions and motorcycles that fleeing residents had abandoned. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Sunday.
Residents Question Security Response
The attack has raised sharp questions about protection for isolated communities in Karim-Lamido. A trader who gave his name only as Adamu said the gunmen faced no resistance for hours. "We have no government in place," he said, describing the prolonged assault and the destruction of market goods.
Yimita Sunday, a hunter and member of the Youth Security Volunteers Vanguard in Karim-Lamido, said poor road conditions, difficult terrain and unreliable telecommunications coverage slowed efforts to notify security agencies and reach those caught in the violence. Local hunters and vigilante members eventually pursued the attackers into the surrounding forests, he said, before security personnel arrived.
Attackers Retreat Toward State Borders
An aide to the Karim-Lamido council chairperson, Ephraim Kwachi, said the gunmen retreated in the direction of communities near the borders with Plateau and Bauchi states. Local sources indicated the attackers entered Binnari through a border settlement in Plateau State.
The police announced additional deployments to the area following the incident. A full account of how security agencies responded during the attack itself had not been made publicly available at the time of reporting.
