REPORT OF ALLEGED SHOOTING OF WOMEN PROTESTERS BY ESCORTS TO THE BRIGADE COMMANDER IS FALSE

The attention of Headquarters 23 Brigade, Nigerian Army, has been drawn to a misleading and unfounded report published by Sahara Reporters and some online media platforms on Monday, 8 December 2025. The report falsely alleged that escorts attached to the Brigade Commander fired on women protesters.

In a statement signed by the, Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations
Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai / 23 Brigade, Capt.Olusegun Abidoye,  Headquarters 23 Brigade categorically states that the report is entirely false, baseless, and a deliberate attempt to malign the reputation of the Brigade, its Commander, and, by extension, the Nigerian Army.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Brigade Commander was not at the scene of the communal clash. At the time of the alleged incident, he was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing. Consequently, neither he nor his escorts was involved in any shooting.
At about 0135 hours (1:35 a.m.) on Monday, 8 December 2025, combined troops of 23 Brigade Garrison, the Nigerian Police Force, NSCDC, and DSS responded to reports of violent communal clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde LGA of Adamawa State. These clashes were rooted in long-standing land disputes and ethnic grievances.
Troops rapidly deployed to the affected areas—Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku, and Lamurde—to restore order. During the operation, a militia group suspected to be aligned with one of the warring communities (Chobo) ambushed the troops.

The troops, being professional and combat-ready, decisively engaged the assailants. Three militia members were neutralized, while others fled. Subsequent exploitation of the withdrawal route led to the discovery of an additional five neutralized armed men and a motorcycle.

Troops later received a distress call indicating that another group was mobilizing to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat. While moving to secure the facility, troops encountered women who blocked the road in an attempt to prevent their passage, even as armed men believed to be aligned with the Bachama community fired indiscriminately within the area. Troops carefully created a safe passage through the crowd and proceeded to secure the Secretariat without harming any of the women. If any woman had been shot by troops at that point, it would have been impossible for them to gain access through the gathering.

While positioned at the Local Government Lodge, two corpses of women were later brought in by members of the community, who alleged that the deaths were caused by troops.

Investigations revealed that the fatalities resulted from the careless and unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by local militias who lacked proper weapons training.

The Brigade deeply commiserates with the families of the deceased women and calls on all parties to embrace peace in order to prevent further needless loss of life and destruction of property.

Headquarters 23 Brigade remains steadfast and fully committed to its constitutional responsibilities in support of civil authorities. The Brigade will continue to act with diligence and professionalism in all operations to ensure peace and stability within its Area of Responsibility.

The general public is therefore advised to disregard the malicious and misleading report.