Despite Denials by Army, Community Leaders Release Photos, Eyewitness Accounts and “Confessions” Claim Soldiers Opened Fire on Women Protesters in Lamurde, Adamawa

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa

The escalating crisis in Nigerian Army’s 23-Brigade and local communities in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State has taken a more controversial turn after community stakeholders released what they say is “irrefutable evidence” — including photographs, eyewitness testimonies and purported militia-men confessions — alleging that security forces opened fire on unarmed women protesters during a demonstration, contradicting the official military account.

Late on Monday, several media and community-based outlets first reported that soldiers escorting the Brigade Commander had shot dead seven women at a protest at “Rigange Junction”, with additional casualties wounded and many rushed to hospital.   According to those sources, up to twelve women were hit — seven dying instantly, others severely injured. 

In response, the 23-Brigade — under the leadership of the commander of the unit — released a statement on 9 December 2025 rejecting the allegations outright as “baseless, misleading and malicious.”  According to that statement, the soldiers only responded to communal violence between warring ethnic communities — the Bachama and Chobo tribes — after armed attacks that had already targeted villages in Tingno, Waduku, and neighbouring communities.  The Army insisted that during their attempt to secure the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat, no shots were fired at civilians, and that two women whose bodies were later presented at the Local Government Lodge had died as a result of “unprofessional handling of weapons” by local militias — not by soldiers. 

However, local leaders and advocacy groups now reject the military’s version, demanding urgent and independent investigation. They point to allegedly authentic photographic evidence — released to media and human-rights organisations — that appears to show corpses of women with gunshot wounds, abandoned at various sites in Lamurde. Community leaders claim some victims were clearly alive when security forces arrived, only to be shot shortly afterward during the protest. Others say militia-men later confessed that they had triggered the violence and brought the women’s corpses to “frame” the Army.

A youth organisation from the indigenous Bwatiye Youth Wing Worldwide described the incident as “barbaric, unprovoked, and a gross violation of human rights and international rules of engagement.”  They have called on national and international human-rights bodies — including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch — to launch a full-scale probe, demand transparent forensic and ballistic analysis, and hold those responsible to account.

The broader context remains deeply troubling: the recent communal violence between Bachama and Chobo communities — rooted in longstanding land disputes — had already prompted the state government to impose a 24-hour curfew on Lamurde LGA, accompanied by mobilization of police and other security agencies.  The unrest had reportedly left villages such as Tingno, Waduku and neighbouring settlements burnt and suffering casualties. 

In this heated atmosphere, hundreds of residents — mostly women — reportedly staged a protest demanding protection, accountability, and immediate intervention. According to eye-witnesses, they were unarmed and chanting for security, yet were met with overwhelming military force. Survivors claim that medical facilities in the area are overwhelmed, with many injured unable to be treated; bodies were either buried hastily or abandoned in the bush.

With both narratives — the military’s denial and the community’s “evidence-backed” account — in direct conflict, the demand for a non-partisan, external investigation is growing louder. Human-rights and community-based organizations warn that failure to address the incident transparently could further erode trust in state security agencies, fuel renewed ethnic tensions, and spark reprisals.

As of now, neither the federal government nor the Adamawa State authorities have announced the formation of an independent inquiry panel. Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased and those wounded continue to mourn under growing fear, anger and suspicion.

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