The Nigerian Army has dismissed reports claiming that soldiers attached to the Commander of 23 Brigade shot women during a protest in Adamawa State.
In a statement issued by Captain Olusegun Abidoye, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai and 23 Brigade, the Army described the allegations, circulated by some online platforms on Monday, as false and an attempt to tarnish the image of the Brigade and its leadership.
According to the Brigade, the Commander was attending a virtual operational briefing at the time of the reported incident and was nowhere near the scene.
The statement noted that security agencies, including troops of 23 Brigade Garrison, police operatives, NSCDC personnel, and DSS officials, had earlier responded to communal clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde Local Government Area. The violence stemmed from long-standing land disputes and ethnic tensions.
Troops were deployed to affected areas such as Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku, and Lamurde, where they engaged an armed militia suspected to be aligned with the Chobo community.
It added that three gunmen were neutralised in the initial exchange, while others fled. Security operatives later discovered five additional dead fighters along a withdrawal route, alongside a motorcycle.
The military said a fresh alert indicated that one of the communities was preparing to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat. While moving to secure the facility, troops encountered women who obstructed their passage, as gunmen believed to be from the Bachama side fired sporadically within the community.
The Army explained that soldiers created a narrow path through the obstruction and proceeded to secure the secretariat without harming any of the women.
While stationed at the Local Government Lodge, two corpses of women were brought forward by residents who claimed they were killed by soldiers.
The Brigade maintained that the women were victims of shots fired by untrained local militias who lacked the proper handling of automatic weapons.
ALSO READ: Niger: Students, staff kidnapped as terrorists invade Catholic school
The Army expressed sympathy to the families of the deceased and appealed to both communities to embrace peace.
The Brigade reaffirmed its commitment to supporting civil authorities and maintaining stability in the area, urging the public to disregard the report linking troops to the deaths.
Read the statement in full, “REPORT OF PURPORTED SHOOTING OF WOMEN PROTESTERS BY ESCORT TO BRIGADE COMMANDER, ABSOLUTELY FALSE
“The attention of Headquarters 23 Brigade Nigerian Army has been drawn to a baseless report by the Sahara Reporters and some other online media published on Monday 8 December, 2025. The said report levelled unfounded and false allegations against the Brigade and its Commander.
“Contrary to this allegation, Headquarters 23 Brigade wishes to state that the report is bereft of truth and therefore entirely misleading. It is nothing short of an attempt to smear the image of the Brigade and its Commander and by extension the Nigerian Army.
“It is necessary to inform the general public that neither the Brigade Commander nor his escorts was at the scene of the communal clash as the Brigade Commander was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational brief at the time of the purported shooting by his escorts.
“Headquarters 23 Brigade wishes to set the record straight that combined troops of 23 Brigade Garrison, Nigerian Police Force, NSCDC and 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, 8 December 2025.
“The communal clash was as a result of the unresolved land disputes and ethnic acrimony between Chobo and Bachama tribes. Troops moved swiftly to the affected communities to return normalcy to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde.
“In the course of its operations, a militia armed group suspected of fighting for one of the warring communities- Chobo attacked the troops .The troops, being a professional, adaptable and combat ready force decisively engaged the militia armed men in the fire fight. During the exchange of fire, troops neutralized 3 of the gunmen and forced other members of the militia group to flee the general area. 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 5 neutralized members of the armed men were discovered with a motorcycle. Furthermore, the troops received a distress call that a warring community had mobilized to attack Lamurde Local Government’s Secretariat.
“While moving to secure the Secretariat, some women blocked the road to deny troops passage to the Secretariat 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. Otherwise, troops would not have been allowed to find any passage through the crowd.
“The troops were able to secure the Secretariat from the assailant. While stationed at the Local Government Lodge (LGL), 2 corpses of women were brought to the Lodge by the people of the community and alleged that they were killed by own troops.
“Without equivocation, the casualties were caused by the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by the local militias who are not proficiently trained to handle such automatic weapons.
“Notwithstanding, the Brigade deeply sympathizes with the family of the slain women and urges the warring communities to embrace peace to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and destruction of properties.
“The Brigade remains resolute and committed to the discharge of its constitutional duties in aid of civil authorities and will continue to apply due diligence as it conducts its operational engagements to ensure peace and stability in its Area of Responsibility.
“Headquarters 23 Brigade urges the general public to kindly disregard the malicious report.”