The attention of Headquarters 23 Brigade, Nigerian Army, has been drawn to a baseless and misleading report published by Sahara Reporters and some other online media on Monday, 8 December 2025, which falsely accused the Brigade and its Commander of wrongdoing.
In a statement issued by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Sector 4 Operation HADIN KAI / 23 Brigade, Captain Olusegun Abidoye, the Brigade categorically described the report as unfounded, false and a deliberate attempt to smear the image of the Brigade, its Commander and the Nigerian Army at large.
Headquarters 23 Brigade states unequivocally that the allegations contained in the report are entirely untrue. At no time was the Brigade Commander or his escorts present at the scene of the communal clash. The Brigade Commander was, at the time of the incident, participating virtually in the Chief of Army Staff’s weekly operational brief.
For the avoidance of doubt, combined troops of 23 Brigade Garrison, alongside personnel of the Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), received credible information at about 0135 hours on Monday, 8 December 2025, regarding a communal clash between the Bachama and Chobo tribes in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The clash arose from unresolved land disputes and long-standing ethnic tensions between the two communities.
Troops were immediately deployed to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde to restore law and order. During the operation, troops came under attack by an armed militia group suspected to be fighting for one of the warring communities. Acting professionally, the troops engaged the militia in a firefight, during which three armed assailants were neutralized, while others fled the area. The swift response of the troops helped to bring the situation under control.
Further exploitation of the militia’s withdrawal route led to the discovery of five additional neutralized armed men and a motorcycle. Shortly after, troops received a distress call indicating plans by a warring group to attack the Lamurde Local Government Secretariat.
While moving to secure the Secretariat, some women obstructed the troops’ movement, while armed men suspected to be from the Bachama extraction fired indiscriminately within the community. The troops tactfully created a passage and proceeded to secure the Secretariat. At no point during this operation was any woman shot or injured by the troops, as evidenced by the fact that the troops were able to pass through the crowd without resistance.
After successfully securing the Secretariat, troops were later confronted at the Local Government Lodge with two female corpses brought by community members, who alleged that the women were killed by soldiers. Headquarters 23 Brigade states without reservation that the deaths were a result of the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by local militia elements, who are neither trained nor proficient in the use of such weapons.
Nevertheless, the Brigade deeply sympathizes with the families of the deceased women and calls on all parties involved in the conflict to embrace peace and dialogue in order to prevent further loss of lives and destruction of property.
Headquarters 23 Brigade remains resolute and committed to the discharge of its constitutional responsibility in aid of civil authorities. The Brigade will continue to exercise due diligence and professionalism in all its operations to ensure peace, security and stability within its Area of Responsibility.
The general public is therefore urged to disregard the malicious and misleading report circulated by Sahara Reporters and other online platforms.
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