Adamawa Clash: Army Denies Shooting Civilians in Bachama–Chobo Violence
Gunfire erupted in Lamurde Local Government Area, Adamawa State, at 1:30 a.m. on Monday, December 8, 2025, as long-standing land disputes between the Bachama and Chobo communities boiled over. By dawn, three militiamen and two women were dead, and a motorcycle lay abandoned. The Nigerian Army’s 23 Brigade, however, insists none of the civilian deaths came from its rifles.
In a statement posted on its X handle Tuesday morning, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, described claims that soldiers or the Brigade Commander’s escorts shot civilians as “baseless and misleading.” The statement said the commander was attending the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly virtual brief when the clash erupted. “Neither the Brigade Commander nor his escorts was at the scene,” it stressed.
According to the military account, joint teams from the 23 Brigade Garrison, Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, and DSS deployed rapidly to Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku, and Lamurde towns to quell the unrest. The Army identified the root cause as unresolved land conflicts and ethnic tension between the Bachama and Chobo, which have simmered for years in Adamawa’s central belt.
The Brigade said the situation escalated when a militia squad allegedly supporting one side ambushed responding troops. “In response, soldiers neutralised three gunmen,” the statement said. Additional deceased fighters and a motorcycle were later found along the militia’s escape route.
The Army further reported that when intelligence indicated a potential raid on the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat, soldiers moved to secure the facility. They encountered a roadblock initially formed by women, later reinforced by armed men who opened “indiscriminate fire.”
The two women, who were later carried to the Local Government Lodge and pronounced dead, were casualties of “militia guns mishandled in the chaos,” the Brigade stated—not from Army bullets. “No civilians were shot by Army personnel,” the declaration concluded.
The Army extended sympathy to the bereaved families and urged both communities to cease hostilities and engage in dialogue to prevent further loss of life and property. It reiterated its role in supporting civil authorities and advised the public to disregard what it termed “malicious reports.”
Adamawa has a history of Bachama–Chobo friction, often triggered by land and grazing disputes. The recent intervention by joint security forces is credited with preventing a wider escalation.