The assailants were reportedly bandits, armed criminals who frequently attack civilians across northern Nigeria.
UNB
27 October, 2026, 09:30 pm
Last modified: 27 October, 2026, 09:33 pm
At least 62 people have been killed and 52 others injured in an attack by gunmen on a community in northeastern Nigeria, the country's emergency agency said today (27 October).
The attack took place on Friday in Binnari community in the Karim-Lamido local government area of Taraba state. Thousands of people were also displaced, said Ladan Ayuba, the state head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The assailants were reportedly bandits, armed criminals who frequently attack civilians across northern Nigeria.
NEMA officials said 52 bodies had been recovered so far, including 15 from the Benue River.
Taraba police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah said the death toll was not final as recovery operations continued. "We still have men on the ground, and the more we recover bodies, we will put them in account," he told The Associated Press.
Amnesty International Nigeria director Isa Sanusi said the attackers drove people towards the river as they tried to escape.
"What happened was that people were chased towards the river, they launched into the river trying to escape the bandits," Sanusi said.
Nigeria is grappling with a complex security crisis involving armed bandits who carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and control illegal mining sites, as well as Islamist militant groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.