TARABA: 15 people escaping bandits drown, as death toll from attack hits 58

Fifteen people who were trying to escape a terror attack on their community in Binnari, Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State were said to have drowned, bringing the number of deaths from that attack to 56.

The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, who disclosed the updated casualty figure on Sunday, said the latest figure went up after the recovery of additional bodies from surrounding bushes and a river following the Friday attack.

The attack, which occurred on a market day, reportedly left several houses burnt, property destroyed and families displaced. Residents accused the authorities of failing to protect the community from repeated attacks by suspected bandits.

Providing an update on the casualties, Mshelizah said he had spoken with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area, who briefed him on the latest developments.

“I just spoke with the DPO on the latest development in the area. He told me that 23 more bodies were recovered, while another 15 persons who were trying to escape from the attack through the river drowned,” he said.

According to the police spokesperson, the victims drowned after a canoe conveying them overturned as they attempted to escape from the attackers.

“Because they were trying to run away from the attackers, they overloaded the canoe, and it capsized in the river. Some of the bodies are missing, while 15 were recovered from the river,” he added.

Mshelizah assured residents that the command remained committed to restoring lasting peace and protecting lives and property in the affected community.

However, the attack has triggered outrage among residents, who lamented their community’s vulnerability to armed attacks and called for stronger security measures.

A hunter and member of the Youth Security Volunteers Vanguard in Karim-Lamido, Yimita Sunday, said Binnari’s remote location, poor road network and inadequate telecommunications services had made it difficult to contact residents and establish the full extent of the casualties.

“I cannot tell you exactly what happened because the place is too far. I have been trying to get in touch with some of our members there, as well as a clergyman I know, but the network has not allowed me to reach them,” Sunday said.

He alleged that the attackers spent more than three hours shooting at residents, setting houses ablaze and looting property, while the community remained largely inaccessible to those who could have provided immediate assistance.

Sunday said the difficult terrain and deplorable roads had hampered efforts to reach survivors, leaving affected residents with limited options for escaping to safety or obtaining urgent assistance.

An aide to the Karim-Lamido Local Government Chairperson, Pastor Ephraim Kwachi, said the attackers operated in a guerrilla-style manner before retreating towards settlements in neighbouring Plateau and Bauchi states.

Kwachi said the exact number of casualties was initially uncertain, but he believed more than 40 people had been killed.

He added that local hunters and vigilantes pursued the attackers into the forest before security personnel arrived, while security operatives had since taken control of the community.

“Life has returned to normal now, but because of the tense situation, I have been unable to go there. Security operatives have, however, taken over the community,” he said.

Kwachi disclosed that the council chairperson was in Kaduna State attending the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign when the attack occurred, but returned to Taraba by road on Saturday night.

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