Residents of Binnari village report 40 deaths in motorcycle raid

Forty people were killed in an attack on Binnari village in Taraba State, according to a statement issued by Amnesty International on Saturday. The rights group said police had initially confirmed 10 deaths, but additional bodies were found later in the day. Police told Al Jazeera that 10 bodies had been recovered by Friday evening.

The assault began just after Friday prayers. Community leader Malam Abubakar Saifullahi said the assailants arrived on about 50 motorcycles. He noted that two men rode on each bike. The group looted shops, taking cash, foodstuffs, and other provisions. They also seized motorcycles left behind by people fleeing the scene.

Survivors provided conflicting figures to AFP. Binnari resident Sa'idu Nuhu said the community counted more than 20 bodies after the attackers left. He added that some people remained missing. Isiyaku Musa, another resident, put the death toll at no fewer than 20. Police confirmed 10 deaths in their initial report.

The attackers also looted food from local shops during the raid. The violence is part of a pattern of banditry affecting several parts of eastern Nigeria. These armed groups are not driven by ideology. They raid villages, kidnap people for ransom, and levy taxes on farmers and miners in areas where the state has little presence.

Amnesty International criticized the Nigerian authorities. The group said officials continue to leave rural communities in some parts of the north at the mercy of gunmen. The statement noted that these groups are repeatedly committing atrocities with impunity.

Banditry has become a growing problem in northwest and central Nigeria. Powerful gangs clash with overstretched police and military forces across remote rural areas. Taraba faces the same threat. In a separate development on Saturday, the Nigerian military said it killed 15 terrorists in an air strike in Borno State.