A suspected bandit raid on the Binnari community in Taraba State’s Karim Lamido Local Government Area has resulted in at least 37 confirmed deaths.
On Friday, October 23, numerous gunmen invaded the neighborhood, firing indiscriminately, looting food items from shops, and setting homes and businesses ablaze.
Community leaders and local youth recovered 37 bodies during searches of nearby bushes and rivers, revising the initial death toll of 10.
Authorities suspect the attackers entered Taraba State from neighboring Plateau State. Karim Lamido Local Government Area also shares borders with Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, and Nasarawa states.
The attack happened on Friday at around 3 p.m., just after Jumu’ah prayers, according to the police.
“The Taraba State Police Command regrets to inform the general public of an attack by suspected armed bandits on Binnari Village on 23 October 2026 at about 1500 hours, shortly after Jumu’ah prayers,” the statement said.
Reports indicated that numerous armed attackers invaded the community amid heavy gunfire, looting food items from local shops and terrorizing residents.
Police officials stated that upon receiving a report from the Officer-in-Charge at Binnari, command leadership promptly dispatched officers to the scene, where responders located ten victims with gunshot wounds.
Authorities subsequently released the bodies to their respective families for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
The command confirmed the deployment of joint reinforcement teams—comprising police tactical units, the Police Mobile Force, conventional police, the Nigerian Army, and sister security agencies—to the area while placing additional personnel on red alert.
Taraba Governor Reacts
Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas denounced the killings in the state’s Binnari community within the Karim-Lamido Local Government Area and urged security forces to apprehend the perpetrators swiftly.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communications, Emmanuel Bello, Kefas labeled the attack “unfortunate” and demanded immediate security intervention to restore order and protect lives and property.
He emphasized that authorities must hold everyone implicated legally responsible and spare no effort in identifying and apprehending the offenders, regardless of their status or position.
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Backstory…
The latest attack comes amid a prolonged pattern of violence in Taraba State’s Karim Lamido Local Government Area, where recurring communal clashes, suspected bandit attacks and farmer-herder conflicts have killed residents, destroyed settlements and displaced families.
In May 2025, gunmen attacked Munga Lalau and Munga Doso communities in Karim Lamido, killing several residents and setting houses ablaze. The attack followed renewed hostilities between farmers and herders in the area, with three people reportedly killed in an earlier attack on Bandawa community.
In January 2026, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas declared Karim Lamido a Special Area of Security Concern through Executive Order No. 1 of 2026.
