Amy denies shooting of women protesters

Abdullateef Fowewe

Headquarters 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army has dismissed as false a report circulated online claiming that the Brigade Commander’s escorts shot women protesters during a communal clash in Adamawa State on Monday, 8 December 2025.

In its statement, the Brigade described the report as misleading and aimed at tarnishing the reputation of its leadership and the Army.

According to the clarification, neither the Brigade Commander nor his escorts was at the scene of the incident.

The Commander was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing at the time the alleged shooting took place.

The Brigade explained that a combined team of personnel from the 23 Brigade Garrison, the Nigerian Police Force, the NSCDC and the DSS received information at about 1:35 a.m. on Monday about a communal clash between the Bachama and Chobo tribes in Lamurde Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the clash was linked to unresolved land disputes and long-standing ethnic tensions.

Troops were immediately deployed to restore order in affected areas including Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde. During the operation, an armed militia group suspected to be loyal to the Chobo community ambushed the security team.

Troops engaged them, neutralising three gunmen and forcing the rest to flee. Five additional armed men were later found dead along the withdrawal route, alongside a motorcycle.

The statement also noted that while troops were responding to a distress call about a planned attack on the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat, some women attempted to block their movement.

At the same time, armed men believed to be aligned with the Bachama community fired shots indiscriminately in the area. Troops cleared the path and proceeded to secure the Secretariat without injuring any of the women.

While stationed at the Local Government Lodge, two bodies of women were later brought in by community members, who accused the troops of killing them. The Brigade firmly denied the claim, stating that the deaths were caused by unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by local militias who are not trained to use them.