When the guns fell silent, the cries had only begun. In the dead of night on 23 May, suspected armed herdsmen stormed Munga Lalau and Munga Doso, two quiet villages in Taraba’s Karim-Lamido LGA. Riding in on motorcycles, they brought not just bullets, but fire. By dawn, over 40 were dead, homes were razed, and families were torn apart.
The coordinated attack in Taraba’s villages highlights the worsening crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where armed conflicts blur lines between banditry, land disputes, and sectarian violence.
- At least 42 villagers were killed in early morning attacks in Taraba State’s Karim-Lamido LGA
- Around 50 attackers arrived on motorcycles, wielding AK-47s and machetes
- Survivors report deliberate house-to-house killings and widespread arson
- Local leaders call it a targeted massacre; the government promises swift action
- Incident echoes rising farmer-herder tensions and statewide insecurity
While families prepare mass burials, the bigger question remains: who protects the voiceless when silence follows the gunfire?
