Fresh accounts from eyewitnesses and Amnesty International reveal that Nigerian Army soldiers opened fire on a group of women demonstrating against the military’s response to communal clashes in Adamawa State, leaving nine of them dead. The incident happened on Monday along a major road in Lamurde Local Government Area.
Witnesses and relatives told The Associated Press that the soldiers allegedly began shooting after the women blocked their passage. At least ten others were wounded during the chaos. The detailed testimonies were made available on Tuesday.
In its reaction, the Nigerian Army denied killing anyone, insisting that a local militia was responsible for the deaths.Amnesty International’s Nigeria office strongly disputed the army’s statement, saying their findings confirmed that the women were shot by soldiers, based on accounts from families and witnesses.
“It shows that the Nigerian military has not changed much because of its past record of human rights violations and disregard for the rule of law,” said Isa Sanusi, the group’s country director.
The Associated Press noted that it could not independently verify the details.
Incidents like this are not rare in Nigeria, where security forces responding to protests or civil unrest are frequently accused of using excessive and deadly force. The 2020 protests against police brutality in Lagos ended in what an official panel later called a massacre after soldiers opened fire on demonstrators.
Monday’s shooting occurred during a curfew imposed in Lamurde due to repeated clashes between the Bachama and Chobo ethnic groups over a long-standing land dispute.
According to local councillor Lawson Ignatius, the women were angeredthat security forces, including soldiers were not enforcing the curfew, which allowed the violence to continue unchecked.
Gyele Kennedy, whose daughter was among those killed, said the soldiers had been passing through the area after leaving the conflict zone when they encountered the protest.
“One of the soldiers first fired into the air. After that, they opened fire on the women,” he recounted in grief.
The Nigerian Army maintained its stance, claiming the soldiers only confronted a militia in another part of the community, not the protesters.
