A fresh wave of violence has struck Taraba State, where suspected herders attacked Bandawa Gwenzu—a community in Karim Lamido Local Government Area—yesterday night, leaving one person dead and more than 100 houses destroyed by fire.
The affected community, which includes the villages of Gwenzu, Langwanshin, and Danzhan, was reportedly caught off-guard.
According to Ishaya Peter, the community’s youth leader who spoke to newsmen, revealed that the assault was sudden and unprovoked.
Peter recounted that residents were in the middle of evening discussions when distant gunfire sent them fleeing in panic.
He noted that some of the attackers were identified as local herders accompanied by neighbors from nearby settlements, and said that efforts to prevent the attack were unsuccessful.
The youth leader added that the community had earlier raised alarms to security agencies but received no intervention. “They came with guns, while we only had bows, arrows, and cutlasses,” Peter said.
He further revealed that the single fatality occurred when a resident, unable to swim across the river while escaping, drowned.
As a result of the attack, villages have been abandoned, with women and children advised to flee for their safety.
The Taraba State Police Command has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
This is not the first time Bandawa has suffered such an attack—similar violence in May claimed three lives and left several others injured.