The Nigerian Army has strongly refuted claims that its personnel were responsible for the extrajudicial killing of female protesters in Adamawa State during a recent communal conflict.
According to the Army, the allegations—circulated by several online media platforms—were deliberately twisted to malign the institution and undermine the efforts of troops working to restore calm between the warring communities.
A statement by Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for Sector 4, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Olusegun Abidoye,
said the report was “baseless, unfounded and intended solely to smear the Brigade, its Commander, and by extension the Nigerian Army”.
He said: “The attention of Headquarters 23 Brigade has been drawn to a baseless report, published on Monday, 8 December 2025, which levelled false and misleading allegations against the Brigade and its Commander.”
To clarify the situation, the Army explained that the Brigade Commander was nowhere near the scene of the alleged shooting, clarifying that at the time of the incident, he was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing.
The Army further detailed that the crisis erupted in the early hours of Monday, 8 December, following renewed tensions over unresolved land disputes and long-standing ethnic grievances between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde Local Government Area.
“Upon receiving reports of the violence, a combined team of 23 Brigade Garrison troops, the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC and DSS personnel swiftly deployed to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde to restore order.
However, as the security forces advanced, they came under attack from a militia group believed to be aligned with one of the communities. The troops who are professional and combat ready responded decisively, neutralising three gunmen and forcing the remainder to retreat.
Subsequent operations along the militia’s withdrawal route led to the discovery of five additional dead fighters and a motorcycle.
The situation escalated further when troops received intelligence that a faction planned to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat. While moving to secure the facility, soldiers encountered a blockade created by women who attempted to prevent their passage. At the same time, suspected Bachama fighters were said to be firing sporadically within the community.
Despite the obstruction, the troops managed to create a safe path and proceeded to secure the Secretariat,” the statement said.
Captain Abidoye stressed that no troops fired at the women, adding that the ability of the soldiers to pass through the crowd safely was clear evidence that no such shooting took place.
He revealed that while stationed at the Local Government Lodge, two corpses of women were later brought by community members, who claimed the women had been killed by soldiers.
According to the Army, however, the deaths were caused by the “unprofessional handling of automatic weapons” by local militias without proper firearms training.
The Brigade expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and called on the rival communities to embrace peace to prevent further loss of life and property.
Reaffirming its commitment to its constitutional responsibilities, the Army said it would continue to conduct its operations with diligence to ensure lasting peace and stability in its area of responsibility.
Headquarters 23 Brigade urges the public to kindly disregard the malicious report.
Linus Aleke
Follow us on:
