One person has been confirmed dead and over 100 houses set ablaze following an attack by suspected herders on farming communities in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The assault, which took place on Wednesday night, targeted Bandawa Gwenzu—a community made up of Gwenzu, Langwanshin, and Danzhan villages.
In an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, the community’s youth leader, Ishaya Peter, described the attack as unprovoked, barbaric, and utterly condemnable.
Peter explained that villagers were seated and holding conversations when gunshots rang out in the distance, prompting residents to flee in panic.
He said he recognised the voices of herders among those approaching the village, alongside some known neighbours, but all attempts to stop them failed.
“We had raised alarms for several hours and alerted the security agencies, but nothing was done to prevent the attack,” Peter said.
He added, “We couldn’t defend ourselves—they had firearms, while we only had bows, arrows, and cutlasses.”
Peter confirmed that the only fatality so far was a man who drowned while attempting to escape by swimming across a river during the assault.
He said the affected villages are now deserted, and residents are still taking stock of the destruction.
“We’ve asked women and children to vacate the area, as we don’t know when or where the attackers might strike next,” he stated.
As of the time of this report, the Taraba State Police Command had not issued any official response to the incident.
A similar attack occurred in Bandawa in May this year, claiming three lives and injuring several others.