Taraba Attack Death Toll Rises to 62, 52 Injured, Thousands Displaced

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The death toll in Friday’s gunmen attack on Binnari community in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State has risen to 62, an emergency agency said on Tuesday.

Metoric Post findings revealed that the attack, reportedly carried out by bandits, also left 52 people injured and displaced thousands of residents, according to Ladan Ayuba, the state head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Fifty-two bodies have been recovered so far, including 15 from the Benue River, NEMA officials said.

A Taraba State police spokesperson said the death toll was not yet definite, as more bodies were still being recovered.

“We still have men on the ground, and the more we recover bodies, we will put them in account,” Victor Mshelizah told The Associated Press.

Amnesty International Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, said the gunmen used the river to their advantage.

“What happened was that people were chased towards the river; they launched into the river, trying to escape the bandits,” Sanusi said.

Nigeria faces a complex security crisis, with civilians regularly attacked by bandits who carry out large-scale kidnappings for ransom and control illegal mining sites, as well as by Islamist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

With The Associated Press report