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JUST IN: Army Finally Reacts to ‘Shooting’ of Women Protesters by Brigade Commander’s Escorts
Headquarters 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army has dismissed as false a media report alleging that its Commander’s escorts opened fire on women during a communal clash in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 9 December 2025, and signed by Captain Olusegun Abidoye, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai / 23 Brigade, the Brigade described the publication by Sahara Reporters and some other online platforms as “baseless” and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the Brigade, its Commander and, by extension, the Nigerian Army.
The Brigade stressed that at the time the alleged shooting was said to have occurred, the Brigade Commander was not on the ground in Lamurde. According to the statement, he was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational briefing.
How the Clash Started
The Army explained that its troops, alongside operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), were deployed after receiving a distress alert at about 1:35am on Monday, 8 December 2025.
The alert reported renewed fighting between the Bachama and Chobo communities in Lamurde LGA, a conflict the Army linked to a long-running land dispute and ethnic tensions. Troops were said to have moved swiftly to affected locations, including Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde, to contain the violence and restore order.
Armed Militia Confrontation
During the operation, the Army said its men came under attack from an armed militia believed to be aligned with one of the warring communities. The troops, described as “professional and combat ready,” reportedly returned fire.
“In the exchange of gunfire, three of the armed men were neutralised while the others fled,” the statement noted, adding that the intervention helped to bring the situation under control.
Security forces later followed the suspected withdrawal route of the fleeing fighters and, according to the Army, discovered five more dead gunmen and a motorcycle.
Women Block Road as Tension Spreads
The Brigade further revealed that troops received another distress call indicating that one of the rival groups had mobilised to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat.
On their way to secure the facility, soldiers encountered a group of women who blocked the road in an attempt to prevent them from moving towards the Secretariat. At the same time, the Army said, armed men believed to be from the opposing side fired shots indiscriminately within the community.
Despite this, the statement explained, troops managed to carve out a passage through the obstruction and proceeded to the Secretariat to prevent it from being overrun. The military insisted that at this point no woman was shot or injured by soldiers, arguing that they would otherwise not have been able to pass through the crowd.
Army Rejects Blame for Women’s Deaths
The controversy deepened, according to the Army, when two corpses of women were later brought to the Local Government Lodge by members of the community, who claimed that soldiers were responsible for the killings.
The Brigade, however, categorically rejected the allegation. It attributed the deaths to what it called the “unprofessional handling of automatic weapons” by local militias involved in the clash, insisting that the deceased women were not shot by 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,” the statement said.
Call for Calm and Peace
Despite disputing the claims, the Brigade extended its condolences to the families of the deceased women and appealed to both Bachama and Chobo communities to sheathe their swords and embrace peaceful dialogue to avoid further bloodshed and destruction of property.
Reaffirming its stance, Headquarters 23 Brigade said it remains committed to its constitutional role of supporting civil authorities to maintain law and order. It also assured residents of its area of responsibility that troops would continue to act with caution and professionalism in all operations.
The Brigade urged the public to disregard the online report, describing it as malicious and misleading.
According to our findings, former presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso has stirred fresh national conversations after praising General Theophilus Danjuma in a way many say captures the retired general’s true influence on Nigeria. In a message marking Danjuma’s 87th birthday, Kwankwaso described him as a man who didn’t just serve long, but served with....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Breaking News
BREAKING NEWS: Newly Elected President of AGN, Abubakar Yakubu Arrested in Lagos – FULL DETAILS
The newly elected President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abubakar Yakubu, who won the election by a narrow margin of 116 votes to 113 against Rita Daniels, with three votes declared invalid, has reportedly been involved in a fatal motor accident in Surulere, Lagos.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Preliminary reports indicate that the crash resulted in the death of an individual.
Yakubu has been taken into police custody at the Barracks Police Station in Surulere, where investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident are ongoing.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the crash or the progress of the investigation.
Further details will follow as the news develops…
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, a strategic move reportedly executed to pre-empt his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike, and take control of the APC structure in the oil-rich state.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The defection, which Fubara lannounced at a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, was confirmed to be a calculated political maneuver following his closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday.
Governor Fubara, while announcing his defection, publicly acknowledged President Tinubu’s intervention as the sole reason he survived the political turmoil, which saw his government briefly suspended.
He said: “I know you have been waiting to hear from me. I have to arrange this meeting so urgently. I know it will end on a good note
“You are aware that I went to see Mr President yesterday, and the reason I went for that visit is not just personal, but a state interest consultation.
“I don’t want to make any mistakes this time around. I also don’t want to step on any landmine that anyone is laying for us. So I was with Mr President yesterday to brief him on the situation of things in our state, which I believe he has taken note of, and he is going to act swiftly on it.
“The most interesting part of the meeting is what you all have been waiting for, and you have been asking me, the signal has finally arrived.
“We have the full support and the positive nod to leave where we are because we didn’t get any protection, to go to where the reason we are still standing is because of that place.
“The truth is, without Mr. President, there won’t be any His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor.
“So, we have every reason. Let no one be fooled in this State, we have the people and the supporters as well as the numbers. Our only thank you to Mr. President is to support him. We can’t support Mr. President in isolation, and we can’t show that support if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support.
“So, we have taken that decision today, since we have got the pass. Everyone here who has followed and suffered with me, our decision today, we are all moving to APC.“
Sources in Governor Fubara’s camp revealed to The Whistler that the defection was based on counsel from political strategists who urged him to join the APC before Wike, despite the FCT Minister’s alignment with the federal ruling party.
The main objective was to secure control of the APC’s political structure in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The strategy banked on Wike’s ongoing internal battles within the PDP, which reportedly led to him being isolated and without access to President Bola Tinubu for the last two months.
The source said Fubara was initially reluctant to make the move, concerned that it would be viewed as disrespectful to Wike and re-ignite the crisis that had just been resolved.
“The governor was reluctant at first. He felt it would be disrespectful to join the APC before his former boss and political benefactor. He was also concerned about reigniting the crisis that had just been resolved. He didn’t want to be seen as betraying Wike or repeating the same pattern that caused their problems in the first place,” the source told The Whistler.
The source explained: “Governor Fubara agreed with the calculation to join the APC first. They (his advisers) convinced him that this was the best way to secure his political future.”
Fubara’s camp asserts that his supporters and loyalists across the state are expected to follow his lead, effectively positioning him as the new leader of the APC in Rivers State.
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