Nigeria bandit attack toll rises to 50, survivors say

Survivors said the death toll from a Friday attack by suspected bandit gunmen in Binnari, a rural town in Nigeria's Taraba state, has risen to 50 after more bodies were found.

Gunmen on motorcycles swarmed the community, killed residents and looted stores. Resident Bashir Mamuda Musa told AFP that seven bodies were found on Friday and 43 more were found in the river on Saturday.

Another resident, Abdullahi Zakari, confirmed the toll and said many residents, including women and children, ran towards the river to escape. He said several people drowned while fleeing the attack.

Bandit gangs have become a growing problem in northwest and central Nigeria, where armed groups raid villages and target rural areas with limited state presence. Amnesty International Nigeria said Saturday that authorities were leaving some rural communities in the north at the mercy of gunmen and failing to bring suspected perpetrators to justice.