At least 62 people were killed and thousands displaced after gunmen attacked Binnari in Nigeria’s Taraba state on Friday, with police still searching for bodies and warning the toll may rise.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported at least 62 deaths. Its Taraba head, Ladan Ayuba, said Tuesday that thousands had fled their homes.
Taraba police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah told The Associated Press that officers remained at the scene and would adjust the tally as they recovered more bodies. Earlier estimates cited 50 deaths among residents and 52 from Amnesty International Nigeria, as recounted in EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of the competing death tolls.
Amnesty International Nigeria said the raid destroyed houses and businesses and burned food stocks and motorcycles. Amnesty said inadequate state protection had left rural residents exposed, and urged an impartial investigation and compensation for survivors.
Al Jazeera said Nigeria’s wider security crisis has roots in the Boko Haram insurgency, which began more than 15 years ago. The outlet also cited the Institute for Security Studies as linking illegal mining proceeds with armed groups’ ability to recruit and obtain weapons, alongside increased arms smuggling and violence in Nigeria and the Sahel.
