The Headquarters 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army has denied shooting any civilians during the recent communal clash in the Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State, insisting that the two women found dead were killed as a result of militia members’ mishandling their weapons.

The clarification followed reports alleging that soldiers escorting the Brigade Commander of 23 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Yola, shot and killed several women during the clash on Monday.

In a statement posted on its X handle on Tuesday, the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai/23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, described the claims as “baseless and misleading,” stressing that “neither the Brigade Commander nor his escorts were at the scene of the communal clash.”

“The commander was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational brief at the time of the alleged incident,” the statement added.

The Brigade explained that combined security forces, including troops of 23 Brigade, the Nigerian Police, NSCDC, and DSS, responded to violent clashes between the Bachama and Chobo tribes, resulting from longstanding land disputes and ethnic tensions.

He noted that troops were deployed to affected communities, including Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku, and Lamurde, to restore calm.

Reiterating its position, the Brigade maintained, “It is necessary to inform the general public that neither the Brigade Commander nor his escorts were at the scene of the communal clash, as the Brigade Commander was participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational brief at the time of the purported shooting by his escorts.”

The statement added that troops received distress reports at about 1:35am on Monday and moved swiftly to restore order.

During the operation, the statement explained that a militia group suspected of supporting one of the warring sides reportedly attacked the troops.

“In response, soldiers neutralised three gunmen, and additional members of the militia were later found neutralised along their withdrawal route, along with a motorcycle,” the Brigade stated.

The army further explained that troops advanced to secure the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat after receiving reports of a possible attack. While some women were said to have initially blocked their passage, armed men allegedly opened fire indiscriminately.

“The Brigade clarified that no civilians were shot by Army personnel, and the two women later brought to the Local Government Lodge were reportedly killed due to the unprofessional handling of weapons by the militias,” the statement added.

The Brigade expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and urged the communities involved to embrace peace to prevent further bloodshed.

It reaffirmed its commitment to performing its constitutional duties in aid of civil authorities and urged the public to disregard what it described as a “malicious report.”

Earlier, The PUNCH reported that the State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, had declared a 24-hour curfew in Lamurde Local Government Area on Monday following the bloody crisis between the communities.

Reacting to the incident, the Bwatiye Youth Wing, the umbrella body of the Bachama ethnic group, condemned what it described as unacceptable actions by some army personnel deployed on a peacekeeping mission in the area.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Abner Kwakano, the group accused the soldiers of using excessive force.

“It is important to remind the public that the Tsobo (Pire) launched their first coordinated attacks on Waduku and Rigange on July 7, 2025, leading to loss of lives, destruction of homes, and the burning of villages,” the statement read.

“Following this, the Adamawa State Government intervened, and negotiations toward a peaceful resolution were ongoing before this most recent and unprovoked strike.

“Despite these efforts toward peace, soldiers deployed to maintain calm opened fire on unarmed women protesting in Lamurde town, an area not directly involved in the communal crisis.

“This tragic action resulted in the death of no fewer than seven innocent women and left many others seriously injured.”

Kwakano described the conduct of the soldiers as unprofessional and unjustifiable.

“While we acknowledge and respect the Nigerian Army as an institution. The actions of those involved raise legitimate concerns about bias, excessive force, and a departure from peacekeeping standards,” the group added.

The Kwara State University has appealed to the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to construct an overhead bridge along the Shao/Malete Road to reduce accident rates on the busy route to the institution.

The university Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jimoh Shaykh-Lukman, made the plea on Tuesday during the institution’s pre-convocation press conference in the Malete area of the state.

While commending AbdulRazaq for heeding the call to promptly repair the Malete road to ease movement, he said the Federal Government’s intervention on the expressway has not mitigated the dangers.

He said, “Some commercial and even articulated vehicles drive against the traffic in a bid to cut down on the distance to drive to make the turn.

“This constitutes a major hazard for all users of that road. We urge our visitor, Gov. AbdulRazaq, to use his good office to facilitate a flyover bridge fAor safe crossing of the express road.”

He also requested extensions to the existing intra-campus road network for ease of access to facilities.

“Road infrastructure is beyond the ability of the university, and this is why we call on our proprietor, Gov. AbdulRazaq, to intervene in this area,” Shaykh-Lukman said.

Speaking on the forthcoming 13th Convocation Ceremony, the vice chancellor said 8,119 degrees will be awarded on Dec. 13.

He said 7,618 earned a first degree while 501 bagged postgraduate degrees.

The VC added, “There are 82 1st Class honours, 1,986 2nd Class Uppers, 4,195 2nd Class Lowers, and 1,355 3rd Class graduands.

“At the postgraduate level, there are 75 PhDs and 426 Master’s graduands.”

He highlighted the academic progress recorded in the institution over the past year, with the Osi and Ilesha-Baruba campuses now operational.

“Both staff and students of the faculties in the two campuses have been integrated in these communities with lectures and research activities ongoing for the 2025/2026 session.

“This has facilitated the spread of the institution to other parts of the state with the expected socio-economic benefits to the communities hosting them.

“With 81 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the three campuses now, we have maintained our success rate in the accreditation status of programmes,” the VC concluded.

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A yet-to-be-identified final-year student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, has lost his life in a road crash after he and some other students embarked on a motorcade parade to celebrate the completion of their final examinations.

PUNCH Metro learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Inside Edo, that the accident occurred on Monday shortly after the students finished their final examination.

Inside Edo disclosed that the vehicle had attempted to overtake another before losing control and ramming into a truck.

The post read, “A tragic accident has occurred at Ujoelen, close to the primary school, resulting in the death of a newly graduated student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened during an attempted overtaking by one of the vehicles involved.

“The risky manoeuvre reportedly led to a loss of control, causing the fatal incident. Residents who were nearby rushed to the scene, but the victim could not be saved.”

Similarly, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the students were said to have been driving recklessly before crashing into a stationary truck.

The deceased was said to be part of a convoy made up of fresh graduates of the university.

NAN reported, “He was reportedly part of a convoy of fresh graduates who took to the highway on Monday shortly after their signing-out activities.

“Witnesses said the group drove recklessly and failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebrations.

“The tragedy occurred when the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck but collided with a stationary vehicle parked along the road.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, proved abortive, as the official number available on the FRSC directory was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, NAN reported that Mathew later confirmed the incident, adding that one person died while five others were injured in the crash.

“The students, after writing their last paper, took to the road in a convoy.

“In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck,” NAN quoted Mathew as saying.

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