Symbolic imagePolice raise Taraba market raid toll to 58
Police in Nigeria's Taraba State say 58 people died in Friday's four-hour attack on the community of Binnari, up from the 10 first confirmed. No group has claimed responsibility.
Gunmen on motorcycles struck Binnari, in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, on market day, Friday, 23 October. According to Premium Times, they shot residents, looted shops and burned houses for about four hours. Police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah said the toll includes 15 people who drowned when an overloaded canoe capsized as they fled across a river, and that searches recovered more bodies from surrounding bushes and the river. Community accounts had earlier put the toll at 40 or 50, and residents are still looking for missing relatives.
Questions over protection
A trader identified only as Adamu said the attackers operated for hours without resistance: "We have no government in place." Yimita Sunday, a member of the Youth Security Volunteers Vanguard in Karim-Lamido, said poor roads, difficult terrain and weak telecommunications coverage hindered efforts to alert security agencies.