The Headquarters 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army has dismissed reports alleging that soldiers killed women who were peacefully protesting in Lamurde Community following an attack by the Chobo from Wadiku and Tigno in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The denial follows stories published by some media outlets, which the Brigade said were attempts to tarnish the image of the Commander and the Nigerian Army.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai / 23 Brigade, Olusegun Abidoye, clarified that the Brigade Commander was not physically present at the scene, as he was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing.
Abidoye further disclosed that the communal clash was as a result of the unresolved land disputes and ethnic acrimony between Chobo and Bachama tribes.
They also added that troops moved swiftly to the affected communities to return normalcy to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde.
According to the army, “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.
