The calm that usually follows Juma’at prayers in Binari of Taraba was shattered on Friday.
For residents of the agrarian community in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State located on the bank of the River Benue the day ended in grief after suspected bandits attacked leaving 26 people dead.
However the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) neutralised 15 terrorists in a precision air strike north-west of Pulka in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
Among the dead in Taraba were women children and worshippers who had just stepped out of the mosque as well as members of a local vigilante group whose office was close to the mosque.
At the time of filing this report many residents were still missing while locals intensified search operations for them.
A resident Mallam Abdul Kumbi who spoke to our Taraba correspondent on the phone in Hausa described the attack as ‘planned and unprovoked.’
He said the attackers came from the Bauchi axis through the Kompany Asusar road.
‘The attackers came through Bauchi. They targeted our community at the time Juma’at prayers had finished yesterday.
‘There is a vigilante group office that is very close to the mosque; they attacked the vigilante group personnel’ Kumbi said.
He said the assailants who were on motorcycles fled through the same route after the attack.
Confirming the attack the spokesman of the Taraba State Police Command Victor Msherizar said 10 bodies were recovered.
He said personnel were deployed to the area to neutralise the attackers and that calm had returned to the community with security operatives on standby to forestall further threat.
But for Binari calm has come at a high cost as families count their losses and wait anxiously for news of their missing loved ones.
Troops neutralise 15 terrorists in Borno air strike
Speaking on the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno incident Capt. Mohammed Goni Acting Military Information Officer Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) according to NAN disclosed this in a statement in Maiduguri on Saturday.
Goni said the operation was conducted at about 11:50 p.m. on Oct. 23 following credible intelligence and confirmed sightings of terrorist movements in the area.
He said the precision air strike was subsequently followed by ground operations to exploit the area and consolidate the gains recorded.
According to him the operation underscores the effectiveness of intelligence-driven targeting and coordinated military action in disrupting terrorist movements and degrading their operational capabilities.
He added that the operation formed part of sustained offensive operations aimed at denying terrorists freedom of action and preventing them from threatening communities across the North-East.
Goni said the Theatre Command remained committed to defeating terrorism and insurgency protecting law-abiding citizens and creating conditions for the restoration of normalcy and socio-economic activities in affected communities.
He reassured the public that troops would sustain the momentum of ongoing operations with vigilance determination and professionalism.
The military urged residents to continue cooperating with security agencies by providing timely and credible information on suspicious movements and activities.
It stressed that sustained collaboration between security forces and civilians remained crucial to consolidating operational gains and achieving lasting peace and security in the North-East.