Army Denies Killing Women Protesters In Adamawa, Blames Local Militias For Attack

The Nigerian Army has dismissed as “baseless and misleading” reports alleging that soldiers attached to the Commander of the 23 Brigade, Yola, shot and killed women protesters during a communal clash in Adamawa State on Monday.

In a statement signed by the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai/23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, on Tuesday, the Army described the report as “nothing short of an attempt to smear the image of the Brigade, its Commander, and by extension, the Nigerian Army.”

According to the statement, neither the Brigade Commander nor his escorts were at the scene of the incident as alleged. “The Brigade Commander was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing at the time of the purported shooting,” Abidoye clarified.

The Army explained that troops from the 23 Brigade Garrison, alongside personnel of the Nigerian Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS), were deployed in the early hours of Monday, December 8, following reports of renewed clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The clashes, according to the statement, stemmed from “unresolved land disputes and ethnic acrimony” between the two tribes.

Captain Abidoye said that troops swiftly moved to restore order in the affected communities; Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku, and Lamurde, but were attacked by a militia group suspected to be aligned with one of the warring sides.

“The troops, being a professional, adaptable and combat-ready force, decisively engaged the militia armed men in a firefight,” he said. “During the exchange, three gunmen were neutralised, and others fled the general area. The troops later discovered five additional dead militia members along their withdrawal route, alongside a motorcycle.”

While troops were moving to secure the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat, Abidoye said, a group of women blocked the road in protest, even as armed men from the Bachama side fired indiscriminately nearby.

“Troops then created a passage and proceeded to the Local Government Secretariat to secure the area. At this point, no woman was shot or injured. Otherwise, troops would not have been allowed to find any passage through the crowd,” the statement emphasised.

Abidoye revealed that two corpses of women were later brought to the Local Government Lodge by community members, who accused the troops of killing them. He, however, said preliminary findings indicated that the deaths were caused by the “unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by local militias who are not trained to use such weapons.”

The 23 Brigade expressed condolences to the families of the deceased women and urged both Bachama and Chobo communities to embrace peace.

“The Brigade deeply sympathises with the families of the slain women and urges the warring communities to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and destruction of property,” Abidoye said.

He reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to professionalism and constitutional duty in aid of civil authorities, stressing that the Brigade “remains resolute and committed to maintaining peace and stability” in its area of responsibility.

The statement concluded with a call on the public to “disregard the malicious report” circulating online.