The Headquarters 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army has dismissed as entirely false a publication by Sahara Reporters and other online platforms alleging that escorts attached to the Brigade Commander shot at women protesters on Monday, 8 December 2025.
Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai / 23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, in a press release on Tuesday, clarified that the report is baseless, misleading, and aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Commander, the Brigade, and the Nigerian Army at large.
According to him, in the first place, the Brigade Commander, at the time of the alleged incident, was attending the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational brief virtually and was nowhere near the scene of the communal clash.
He said that a combined team of 23 Brigade Garrison, the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, and DSS responded to clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde LGA of Adamawa state at about 1:35 a.m. following renewed violence stemming from long-standing land disputes and ethnic tensions.
The troops swiftly moved to the affected areas—Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku, and Lamurde—and restored order.
During the operation, however, a militia group suspected to be aligned with the Chobo community attacked the troops. The soldiers decisively engaged the attackers, neutralizing three. An additional five armed men were later found dead along their withdrawal route, alongside a motorcycle.
Troops also responded to a distress call that armed groups were mobilizing to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat.
“While moving to secure the Secretariat, troops encountered women blocking the road as armed men believed to be from the Bachama side fired indiscriminately within the community. Troops created a passage and continued their movement. No woman was shot or injured during this encounter”, Abidoye stated.
Later, two corpses of women were brought to the Local Government Lodge, with claims that troops were responsible. The Brigade, however, stated firmly that the deaths were caused by the mishandling of automatic weapons by local militias who lacked the training to operate them safely.
Abidoye further stated that the Brigade, while sympathizing deeply with the families of the deceased, called on both communities to embrace peace to prevent further loss of life and destruction of property.
“Headquarters 23 Brigade reaffirms its commitment to supporting civil authorities and maintaining peace and stability within its area of responsibility. The public is urged to disregard the misleading report”, the statement said.
