Attack kills up to 60 in Nigeria’s Taraba State

Nigeria’s House of Representatives has called for urgent security and humanitarian intervention after an attack on Binnari market in Taraba State, which reportedly killed between 57 and 60 people on 23 October. Mohammed Audu, the federal lawmaker representing the Karim Lamido, Lau and Ardo Kola federal constituency, tabled the motion on Thursday, according to Nigerian media outlet Vanguard.

The attackers killed 10 people at the scene before panic drove several residents into a river, bringing the estimated death toll to 57-60. They returned on 26 October to the neighbouring community of Gomben Dela, where they allegedly stole food and commandeered vehicles, without causing any further deaths, according to Mohammed Audu.

The lawmaker cited several wooded areas in Plateau and Bauchi, including Dutsen Zaki, Kukawa Forest, the Yankari Game Reserve and Mount Gwana, as possible routes used by the attackers. He called for better coordination among the security services of the three states and the completion of the abandoned road between Wase and Karim Lamido to facilitate interventions.

The lawmakers also called on the North East Development Commission, the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons to provide food, building materials, blankets and mattresses to affected families. They observed a minute’s silence in tribute to the victims.

The request comes after the first reports on the Binnari massacre published on 24 October, followed by the Senate’s call for a stronger military presence in Taraba on 28 October. Governor Agbu Kefas had previously extended the security alert for six months on 27 October.