Suspected armed herdsmen have reportedly massacred more than 42 people in a midnight raid on villages in Taraba State, North-East Nigeria.
Local sources told Newsmen on Sunday morning that the attackers stormed the communities of Munga Lalau and Munga Doso in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, unleashing terror on sleeping residents.
As of now, the affected areas remain shrouded in grief following the mass burial of dozens of villagers brutally murdered in the attack.
The assault occurred around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, according to Aliyu Buba, a resident who narrowly escaped with his life. Buba said the attackers, numbering over 50, rode into the villages on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately.
A soldier involved in the rescue operation confirmed that 42 bodies had been recovered by Saturday afternoon, with many others still missing.
Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas confirmed the killings in an official statement released through his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication, Emmanuel Bello.
While he did not provide a death toll, the governor condemned the attack, promising swift justice.
“These heinous acts of violence will not go unpunished. The government is taking swift action,” Governor Kefas stated.
Eyewitness accounts paint a grim picture of the attack.
“They came in the dead of night, over 50 of them on bikes, shooting everyone in sight. It was pure terror,” said Vincent Dadiya, a survivor from Munga Lalau.
“We counted 42 corpses before noon on Saturday. This is beyond anything we’ve seen before,” a soldier involved in the rescue operation told Newsmen.
Taraba State has a troubling history of violent clashes, particularly between herders and farming communities. These conflicts—often rooted in land disputes, ethnic tensions, and systemic insecurity—have escalated over the years.
In 2018, more than 50 people were reportedly killed in Lau and Wukari LGAs due to farmer-herder conflicts.
In 2019, communal clashes in Donga and Takum led to mass displacements and dozens of deaths. Similarly, in 2021, armed militias attacked Ussa LGA, leaving at least 15 people dead and hundreds displaced. In 2023, attacks on villages in Bali and Gassol LGAs resulted in combined fatalities exceeding 70.
Despite interventions by security agencies and efforts from both state and federal governments, the cycle of violence continues. The latest massacre in Karim-Lamido marks one of the most brutal incidents in recent memory.
