We Killed 8 Armed Men In Adamawa, Not Women – Army

The Nigerian Army has admitted killing of eight militiamen who took up arms against a rival community during a communal clash in Lamurde local government area of Adamawa State

The acting assistant director of Army Public Relations Sector, 4 Operation Hadin Kai/23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, said during the exchange of fire yesterday, the troops neutralised three of the gunmen and forced other members of the militia group to flee the general area.

He added that the troops and other security agencies later exploited the withdrawal route of the militia group, where five more neutralised members of the armed men were discovered with a motorcycle.

Abidoye said the communal clash was caused by unresolved land disputes and ethnic acrimony between Chobo and Bachama tribes.

In a statement issued by Abidoye regarding the clash, he explained that a report published by an online platform last Monday levelled false allegations against the Brigade and its commander.

He described the report as bereft of truth and misleading, adding that “it is nothing short of an attempt to smear the image of the Brigade and its commander and by extension the Nigerian Army.

Abidoye said neither the Brigade commander nor his escorts were at the scene of the communal clash as he was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational brief at the time of the purported shooting by the escorts.

He disclosed that troops of 23 Brigade Garrison, Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) received information about the communal clashes between Bachama and Chobo tribes of Lamurde LGA of Adamawa State at about 0135 hours (1:30 am) of Monday, 8th December. 2025.

The Army spokesperson said troops moved swiftly to return normalcy to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde.

Abidoye said in the course of its operations, a militia group suspected to be fighting for one of the warring communities, Chobo attacked the troops.

He said, “The troops, being a professional, adaptable and combat-ready force, decisively engaged the militia armed men in the firefight. The troops were able to put the clashes under control.

“The troops and other security agencies later exploited the withdrawal route of the militia group, where an additional five neutralised members of the armed men were discovered with a motorcycle.

Furthermore, the troops received a distress call that a warring community had mobilised to attack Lamurde local government’s secretariat.

“While moving to secure the secretariat, some women blocked the road to deny troops passage, while armed men suspected to be fighting for Bachama extraction fired indiscriminately within the community.

“Troops then created a passage and proceeded to the Local Government Secretariat (LGS) to secure the area. At this point, no woman was shot or injured,” Abidoye said.

Otherwise, troops would not have been allowed to find any passage through the crowd.

He said the security personnel were at the secretariat, and two corpses of women were brought to the lodge by the people of the community, who alleged that the troops killed them.

“Without equivocation, the casualties were caused by the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by the local militias, who are not proficiently trained to do so,” Abidoye said