Key Points
- Army rejects claims troops shot women protesters in Lamurde.
- Brigade links women’s deaths to gunfire from rival militia.
- Joint security teams launch operations to keep the area stable.
The Nigerian Army’s 23 Brigade in Adamawa State has rejected claims that its troops opened fire on women who gathered to protest a communal clash in Lamurde.
Reports had alleged that seven protesters were killed. The Brigade insisted the account was false and misleading.
Captain Olusegun Abidoye, spokesperson for the Brigade, issued a statement on Tuesday. He stressed that the Brigade Commander and his escorts were nowhere near the area at the time of the incident.
The statement referenced a document titled “Report of Purported Shooting of Women Protesters by Escorts to Brigade Commander, Absolutely False.” It dismissed every claim that linked the women’s deaths to Army personnel.
Security agencies respond to communal violence
The Brigade explained that troops from the Army, Police, NSCDC and DSS arrived in Lamurde around 1:35 a.m. on Monday, 8 December 2025, after receiving a distress alert. The call reported violent clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities.
The conflict was rooted in unresolved land disputes and old ethnic tensions across several settlements including Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde town.
Troops encountered armed resistance. A militia group believed to be aligned with the Chobo community opened fire on security forces.
Three gunmen were neutralised during the exchange, while others escaped. Troops later found five more neutralised militia members and a motorcycle on the escape route, bringing the total to eight.
Women block road as rival gunmen fire shots
The Brigade explained that troops later received intelligence indicating a plan to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat. As security teams moved toward the area, a group of women blocked the road in protest.
During the standoff, armed men suspected to be aligned with the rival Bachama community opened fire from a distance.
The Brigade claimed this gunfire caused the deaths of the two women whose bodies were later brought to the Local Government Lodge.
Troops cleared a passage through the crowd and secured the secretariat without injuring anyone.
Army distances troops from women’s deaths
Residents later brought the corpses of two women to the Lodge, alleging the women were shot by soldiers. The Brigade rejected this.
It insisted the deaths came from indiscriminate gunfire by local militia groups, not from any security personnel.
The Army expressed sympathy to the families and urged the two communities to avoid more violence.
It reaffirmed its commitment to peacekeeping and support for civil authorities and encouraged the public to disregard what it described as a misleading report.
