By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Army has dismissed as completely false a media report claiming that women protesters were shot by the escorts of the Commander, 23 Brigade, during a communal clash in Adamawa State. The allegation, published by Sahara Reporters and some other online platforms, was described as baseless and misleading by the Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai/23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye.
According to the Army, the report wrongly accused the Brigade and its Commander of involvement in the alleged shooting. Headquarters 23 Brigade clarified that neither the Commander nor his escorts was present at the scene during the incident, as the Commander was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing at the time of the purported shooting.
Providing an account of events, the Brigade explained that troops of 23 Brigade Garrison, alongside personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC and DSS, received information at about 1:35am on Monday, 8 December 2025, about renewed communal clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The conflict, it noted, was rooted in longstanding land disputes and ethnic tensions.
Security forces immediately deployed to affected areas, including Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde, to restore order. During the operation, troops were ambushed by a militia group suspected to be aligned with one of the warring communities. The Army said its personnel professionally engaged the attackers, neutralizing three gunmen and forcing others to retreat. Further exploitation along the militia’s withdrawal route led to the discovery of five additional neutralized attackers and a motorcycle.
The Brigade added that troops later received a distress call that members of one of the communities were mobilizing to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat. On their way to secure the facility, some women reportedly blocked the road, while armed men believed to be aligned with the Bachama group fired indiscriminately within the community. Troops created a safe passage through the crowd and proceeded to secure the Secretariat without harming any civilian.
While stationed at the Local Government Lodge, community members brought the corpses of two women and alleged they were killed by soldiers. The Army firmly denied this claim, stating that the deaths were caused by unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by local militia members, not by troops who were focused on restoring peace.
The Brigade expressed deep sympathy to the families of the deceased women and urged both communities to embrace peace to prevent further loss of lives and property. It reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out its constitutional duties responsibly and maintaining stability across its Area of Responsibility.
Headquarters 23 Brigade called on the public to disregard what it described as a malicious and unfounded report aimed at tarnishing the image of the Brigade and the Nigerian Army.
