*Amnesty International Says 52 Dead So Far, Blasts Govt For Allegedly Abandoning Vulnerable Communities To Their Fate
*Some People Still Missing -Survivor
*Police Speak
*Taraba ADC 2027 Guber Candidate Tasks Govt On Safety Of Citizens
By Okerafor Athanasius, Jalingo, and agency reports
The death toll from Friday’s attack on a village in Karim Lamido Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State has risen to at least 48, police told the BBC.
The police had initially reported 10 deaths after unidentified gunmen on motorcycles raided the village of Binnari, looting shops and setting houses ablaze.
More bodies were discovered on Sunday (yesterday), according to state police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), who said some of the victims had drowned while trying to escape the attackers while others were killed in nearby bushes.
Amnesty International’s Director for Nigeria Isa Sanusi said his organisation had confirmed 52 deaths, citing sources on the ground and members of the local community.
The attack happened just after midday Muslim prayers, and the rampage went on for up to four hours.
State Police Command had initially recovered 10 bodies with gunshot wounds after officers responded to a distress call.
The attackers had fled by the time officers arrived – but they continued to patrol the area to restore calm, the Command told the BBC on Saturday.
“We were able to disperse the unknown gunmen though there was no casualty on their side and ours because the terrain is difficult and they’re used to the terrain,” Mshelizah said.
Community leader Malam Abubakar Saifullahi told news agency Agence-France Press (AFP) that the attackers had arrived on about 50 motorcycles, two men apiece, further describing the chaos that ensured when the attack began.
“They looted shops and took cash, foodstuffs and other provisions,” he said. “They also took motorcycles abandoned by people fleeing the attack.”
Isiyaku Musa, who survived the attack, told AFP: “People were running in different directions to escape the attack. Nobody knew where it was safe to go.”
Another survivor, Sa’idu Nuhu, said that some people were still missing.
Survivors who spoke to AFP said they had counted at least 20 dead.
Sanusi told BBC News on Saturday that the NGO had spoken to some of the bereaved families who said up to 50 people had died.
“The initial funeral had 37 people,” he said.
The Amnesty International chief called for an impartial investigation into the killings, accusing the authorities of leaving rural communities “at the mercy of gunmen that are repeatedly commit (sic) atrocities with impunity.”
Parts of North-Eastern Nigeria have been affected by years of violence involving jihadist groups and armed gangs, which raid communities, abduct residents and demand ransoms.
Similar armed groups operate in the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones.
The latest attack comes as Nigeria prepares for elections next year, with insecurity featuring prominently in political debates.
Taraba ADC 2027 Guber Candidate Tasks Govt On Safety Of Citizens
Miffed by the killings, African Democratic Congress (ADC) gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 general elections in the State, Senator Abubakar Umar Tutare, has tasked the state government and security agencies on protection of lives and property of people of the State.
Senator Tutare mourned with the people of Binnari community over what he described as the incessant killings of their loved ones by bandits, the latest one occurring last Friday.
His position on the issue was contained in a statement signed and issued to journalists in Jalingo, the State capital, by the Director, Media and Publicity, Tutare Campaign Council, Saidu Sadiq Adamu.
Adamu stated that the Senator reaffirmed his solidarity with the people and further described the attack as barbaric.
Condemning the act in strong terms, Tutare called on governments at all levels and security agencies to take urgent steps to protect the lives and property of all citizens, especially those living in vulnerable communities.
He said the frequent attacks on peaceful communities across the state, especially in Sardauna and Karim-Lamido LGAs, were becoming “very worrisome.”
The statement, in part: “Every citizen has the constitutional right
to life, welfare and to own property,” adding that the prime duty of any government is to ensure the security and sanctity of these rights at all times.
“We therefore call on the government and security agencies, to move beyond expressions of concern but instead take serious proactive measures to ensure the safety of the lives and property of its people.
“Relevant authorities should step up measures which may include, but not limited, to the immediate deployment of security personnel and provide adequate resources to address the gaps that currently exist in such vulnerable communities.
“Accordingly, we further urge authorities to not only identify and arrest the perpetrators of such heinous crimes, but to also ensure that such criminals are appropriately prosecuted and punished according to our extant laws to serve as deterrent to future offenders.
“To the victims, we sympathize with you and assure you that we are standing in solidarity with you at this trying moment as we also pray for the repose of the souls of all your loved ones who have fallen. We also wish those injured speedy recovery from the injuries.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Sen. Tutare.
