Military Denies Charge as Government Imposes 24 Hour Curfew
By Luka Binniyat
(Kaduna) Nigerian Christians are roiled with anger over disputed reports that Nigerian soldiers on Monday deliberately gunned down 10 Christians at a peaceful protest in Lamurde County, Adamawa, Northeast Nigeria.
The women, all from the Bwatye Christian ethnic group in Lamurde town, were protesting what they said was the military’s poor response during a clash between them and a neighboring Christian ethnic group called Chobo.
Though the Nigerian Army has strongly denied involvement in the massacre, evidence obtained by TruthNigeria suggests that the shooting was carried out solely by the troops of 23 Brigade stationed in Yola, the Adamawa state capital.
A video from Facebook obtained by TruthNigeria shows a motley crowd of women singing in a local Bwatye dialect waving leaves in a peaceful protest while two military trucks packed far from each at Lamurde Local Government Secretariat, a dozen soldiers watch. A soldier is seen shooting video at the protest with his phone.
Human-Rights Activist Reveals More
Another video obtained by Verydarkman (a human rights activist with a large online following) shows the moment that the shooting started.
The video shows the women screaming in dread and running in pandemonium into different directions with the rapid rattling of gunshots in the background.
It also captures some of the casualties after the shooting as they were loaded into an open van and taken to a hospital.
Verydarkman calls it, “a genocide in the 21st Century by the Nigerian Army.”
Making further revelation, a young woman identified as Lami Samuel, 31, a tailor, and a native of Munatare Village, near to Lamurde town, told Verydarkman that the shooting was carried out by the Nigerian Army.
“We were dancing and singing and holding only leaves. We did not say anything to insult anyone,” she said, surrounded by a noisy crowd with Verydarkman man in the center.
“We did not go near their vehicles, talk less of touching them, because we know that the military are not people to joke with,” she said.
She said that two military trucks later arrived and some soldiers jumped out.
According to her, those soldiers opened fire on them. “We first slightly ran back thinking it was rubber bullets fired to scare us off. But we later realized that it was live bullets!” she said.
“I ran to one side and stood there. There was this soldier that was very hot headed. He went on his knees. He took direct shots at the women. He was not shooting in the air like the others,” she said.
“It was not only him that was shooting. They shot even little children,” she added.
Clement Kenam, 51, was among those killed, according to Simon Kenam, Youth Leader of the Middle Belt Forum, speaking to TruthNigeria from Yola, Wednesday.
“It was the army that carried out the killings, that I can confirm to you because my immediate senior brother, Clement, is among the casualties,” he said.
“Eight females, including little girls were shot by the army. My senior brother was the only male killed by the soldiers.
“As I speak to you, about 21 women sustained various forms of bullet injuries,” he said.
Army Denies Killing Women Protesters in Adamawa, Blames Local Militias for Shootings
The Nigerian Army firmly denied allegations that its troops shot and killed women during a peaceful protest in Lamurde on Monday, insisting that the deaths were caused by “local militias” involved in an ongoing tribal feud, often called by Nigerian authorities as a “communal clash.”
In a statement issued by the 23 Brigade in Yola, the Army dismissed reports circulating online as “false, misleading, and deliberately aimed at maligning the military.”
Army Explains
According to the Army, its troops, alongside police and other security agencies, deployed early Monday to several troubled communities — including Tingno, Waduku, Rigange, Tito, and Lamurde — following renewed violence between the Bachama and Chobo ethnic groups over disputed farmland.
The soldiers reportedly encountered armed militias during the operation and “neutralized” several attackers in defense of civilians.
While heading toward the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat after receiving intelligence of a planned attack, troops were confronted by a group of protesting women who accused security forces of failing to prevent previous killings.
However, as the women blocked the road, armed men from one of the warring factions allegedly opened fire, causing panic and leading to fatalities, according to the Army statement.
The Brigade stated that its troops did not shoot at the protesters and instead “created a safe corridor” and passed through without incident. Later, two corpses of women were brought forward by community members, who accused the military of killing them — a claim the Army rejects.
According to Leadership.ng, the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai/23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, on Tuesday, the Army described the report as “nothing short of an attempt to smear the image of the Brigade, its Commander, and by extension, the Nigerian Army.”
Army Calls Accusations a Smear Campaign
The Army described the allegations as “malicious propaganda”. It extended condolences to the affected families and urged the public to remain calm while security agencies work to restore order.
24 Hour Curfew Imposed
A 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Lamurde, Adamawa State, following violent protests that erupted after the reported killing of the 10 unarmed citizens. The Adamawa State Government announced the shutdown to “restore law and order” after tensions escalated rapidly in the remote community.
Luka Binniyat writes for TruthNigeria Nigeria from Kaduna, Nigeria.
