In what will come across as a really tragic incident in Adamawa State, at least seven women were reportedly shot de@d by soldiers assigned to escort Brigade Commander Amechi Agwu of the 23 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Yola.
According to SaharaReporters, this was after the troops reportedly opened fire on the group of protesters in Lamurde.
The tragic incident occurred Monday afternoon, at Rigange junction, deepening tensions already inflamed by a violent assault earlier in the day by suspected Chobo-speaking militia, who had launched coordinated attacks on multiple communities in Lamurde Local Government Area.
A respected community leader, struggling to hold back tears, told SaharaReporters that 12 women were shot, with seven dying instantly.
“Five others are battling for their lives at Numan General Hospital,” he said, his voice breaking as he recounted the chaos that followed the shooting.
According to multiple local sources, the women had gathered to protest what they described as the unforgivably late arrival of security forces, who, they said, only reached the affected villages hours after the attackers had finished their rampage and retreated unchallenged.
“The women were angry, frustrated, and tired of burying their own,” another source said. “They were demanding answers. Instead, what they got were bullets.”
SaharaReporters reached out to the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Apollonia Anele, for comments on the incident.
However, calls to her mobile line were not answered, and a text message sent to him seeking clarification on the shooting had also not received a response at the time of publishing this report.
Efforts to obtain the Army’s official position on the allegations remain ongoing, but as of press time, no reaction had been provided.
The Nigerian Army had not issued an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
