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From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Binnari village, in Amar Ward, Karim Lamido Local Government, Taraba State, came under a gruesome attack on Friday, October 23, 2026. The attack occurred shortly after Juma’at prayers and saw over 50 persons dead, scores injured and food items looted.
Survivors of the attack remain deeply traumatised by the ugly experience. They lament the loss of their loved ones, their businesses and food items, as well as the scale of the attack.
Hajiya Umaru Binta lost her granddaughter during the attack. Both had gone to the market to fry and sell potatoes, as she had done for years: “At some point, there came the sound of gunshots and ensuing confusion. My initial response was to run after my granddaughter. I went as far as the place where she was supposed to buy firewood, but she was not there.
“By this time, there was confusion. I remember fleeing people shoving me aside as they ran… before I lost consciousness. By the time I regained consciousness, it was already night. I could not remember where I was or how I got there.
“But my first impulse was to see my granddaughter. Yet, no one could tell me anything about her whereabouts.” She never saw her granddaughter alive again. What she eventually saw was her granddaughter’s mangled body.
Mallam Saidu Kamshi survived the attackers’ bullets by the whiskers, but lost nearly everything else. A petty trader who sold local perfumes, Kamshi, as he was fondly called, believed his money was safest in his hands and, therefore, kept his sales and profit in his waist bag. Unfortunately, he lost the bag on the day of the attack.
“What is the point of being alive?” he lamented, adding, “Staying alive after this loss will only prolong one’s suffering on earth.”
According to him, he was advertising his products to a group of people when the shooting started, and right before his eyes, the marauders shot and killed one of his prospective customers: “Thereafter, I fled but forgot my cherished bag along the way. That was how I lost everything. Now I cannot even sleep at night. Where will I start from? We did not offend anyone. If they wanted food, did they have to kill so many people just to get it?”
An eyewitness, Abdul Isah, attributed the high death toll and the difficulty in identifying the deceased to the fact that the attack took place on the local market day when the market was full of traders and buyers: “From what we saw, some of the attackers were already in town and even participated in the Friday prayers with members of the community.
“Because, after the prayers, just as people were beginning to open their shops, some of the bandits arrived on over 30 motorcycles. At first, people thought it was just some traders arriving in groups for the market but the situation changed so quickly as the new arrivals began to shoot sporadically, killing people and throwing the whole place into confusion.
“After they had created confusion and killed some people, they looted foodstuffs and other items from the shops and rode away on their motorcycles, shooting anyone they met on the road.”
During a state emergency security meeting, Governor Agbu Kefas corroborated his account: “The information available to us confirm a grave loss of lives. The casualty figure and the circumstances surrounding some deaths are still being reconciled.
“I have directed the relevant authorities to account for every missing person, verify the identities and circumstances of those who died, support affected families and provide the public with accurate updates. We will not speculate about the final figures.
“We know that armed men attacked the community and took food supplies. The security agencies are investigating the attackers’ movements, possible motives and any connections to other criminal activity… I expect the agencies to identify those responsible, pursue them within the law and bring them to justice.
“Karim Lamido presents a demanding security environment. It is a large rural area with dispersed settlements, farming communities, market routes and waterways. Distance, difficult access in some locations and boundaries with neighbouring jurisdictions can make timely communication and response more challenging.
“These conditions require close coordination among agencies, reliable local information and a response that reaches vulnerable communities quickly. They do not lessen our responsibility to protect the people.
“Before this meeting is over, I expect the heads of our security agencies to agree on a coordinated framework for protecting Binnari and surrounding communities, with clear responsibilities, immediate actions and a timetable for review.
“The operational details — including deployments, routes and intelligence sources — must be handled through appropriate secure channels,” he stated.
He urged the people of the community to come up with a united response, including adopting measures to promptly report threats to the authorities.
“I call on traditional rulers, ward and village leaders, youth groups, farmers, transporters and residents to share credible information through the proper channels.”
The governor ordered the immediate deployment of relief materials to ameliorate the suffering of the people through the State Emergency Management Agency. A government delegation led by Executive Secretary, Taraba State Emergency Management Agency (TSEMA), Dr. Audu Echuseh, arrived in the community on Saturday to coordinate the distribution of relief items and assess the extent of property destruction.
Addressing grieving residents during the distribution of supplies, which included foodstuffs, mattresses, blankets and other essential non-food items, Dr. Echuseh conveyed Governor Kefas’s deepest condolences to the bereaved families.
“We are here on behalf of the Taraba State Government to show solidarity and provide immediate succour to our brothers and sisters in Binnari. His Excellency has directed that no victim of this dastardly act be left unattended.
“This is just the first phase of our intervention. The government is fully committed to providing necessary humanitarian support while collaborating with security agencies to ensure long-term stability and security in the area,” he said.
The Governor has also ordered the deployment of more security personnel to the community and extended the designation of Karim Lamido Local Government Area as a place of special security concern by six months.
“Karim Lamido was previously designated a Special Area of Security Concern. I hereby announce that the designation is extended for a further six months, effective 26 October, 2026. This is a focused security measure; it is not a label on the people of Karim Lamido. The extension will be accompanied by infrastructure and development measures, because communities need both protection and the means to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.”
