Gunmen kill at least 10 people in eastern Nigeria, police say

What the report says

Nigerian police say at least 10 people were killed in an attack on Binnari village in Taraba State, in eastern-central Nigeria, after a large group of gunmen on motorcycles raided the community on Friday. The report, published by Al Jazeera on 24 October 2026, said officers had recovered 10 bodies by Friday evening, while residents and aid groups later described a higher toll.

According to the article, the assailants opened fire shortly after Friday prayers and also looted shops, taking food, cash and motorcycles. Local residents told AFP they counted more than 20 bodies after the attackers left, while community leaders said the gunmen arrived in large numbers and fled with stolen goods. Amnesty International said in a statement that the death toll may have reached 40, though that figure was not confirmed by police in the article.

The attack fits a broader pattern of banditry and armed violence affecting rural areas in parts of Nigeria, where gangs often target villages for looting, kidnapping and extortion. Al Jazeera noted that Taraba has also faced these kinds of attacks, alongside Nigeria’s long-running insurgency in the northeast. The incident underscores the challenge facing security forces in protecting remote communities with limited state presence.