The death toll from Friday’s attack on a village in Nigeria has risen significantly, reaching 50, survivors told Agence France-Presse on Sunday, after additional bodies were discovered.
Armed men, believed to belong to one of the criminal gangs operating in the area and known as “bandits” (“bandits”), arrived on motorcycles after Muslim prayers in the village of Binari, in the northeastern state of Binari, and opened fire, killing more than twenty people, according to initial reports. They also engaged in looting, particularly of stores.
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A jihadist insurgency has been raging in northeastern Nigeria for years on end. However, this particular state, Taraba, which extends into the central part of the country, is also facing activity by criminal gangs with no ideological motives.
“On Friday, we found seven bodies after bandits attacked our community. The next day (the day before yesterday) Saturday, we found another 43 bodies in the river, bringing the total to 50,” said Bashir Mamunda Musa, a resident of Binari.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria chapter reported 52 deaths yesterday, noting that the attackers, who entered the community in “large numbers,” “set fire to” shops, homes, animal feed, and motorcycles…
The day before yesterday, Saturday, survivors had reported 20 deaths. The new death toll of 50 was confirmed by another resident, Abdullahi Zakari.
Recounting the victims is often difficult when communities scatter because they are in danger.
“Many residents, especially women and children, fled toward the river trying to escape the gunmen. Unfortunately, many people drowned while trying to escape the attack,” Mr. Zakari told AFP.
“The attackers chased residents who were fleeing toward the river, and (some) drowned,” Isa Sanousi, director of Amnesty International’s Nigeria branch, also told the French news agency. “Some were chased all the way to the river by the gunmen.”
The phenomenon of banditry continues to escalate in northwestern and central Nigeria. Powerful gangs, motivated by profit rather than any ideology, are clashing with police and military forces, which were already struggling to control the situation in vast and inaccessible rural areas.
These groups attack villages, kidnap people for ransom, and impose “taxes” on farmers or miners in remote parts of Nigeria where the state’s presence is limited.
“Nigerian authorities continue to leave rural communities in certain parts of the north at the mercy of armed groups who have repeatedly committed atrocities with complete impunity,” Amnesty International’s Nigeria branch stated on Saturday.
“The authorities’ persistent failure to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice clearly encourages” these unpunished criminals to continue their actions, the NGO added.
Source: Proto Thema
