Army Denies Shooting Women Protesters in Lamurde

The 23 Brigade in Yola has denied a report by some online media claiming that escorts to the Brigade Commander shot some women protesters in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

A statement on Tuesday in Yola by the spokesman of the Brigade, Capt. Olusegun Abidoye, said the report was misleading.

“Contrary to this allegation, Headquarters 23 Brigade wishes to state that the report is bereft of truth and therefore entirely misleading.

“It is nothing short of an attempt to smear the image of the brigade and its commander and by extension the Nigerian Army,” it said.

According to the statement, neither the brigade commander nor his escorts was at the scene of the communal clash.

It said 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.

It noted that combined troops of the army, police and other security agencies received information about the communal clashes between Bachama and Chobo tribes of Lamurde Local Governments on Monday and moved in to contain the situation.

“The communal clash was as a result of the unresolved land disputes and ethnic acrimony between Chobo and Bachama tribes.

“Troops moved swiftly to the affected communities to return normalcy to the affected areas of Tingno, Rigange, Tito, Waduku and Lamurde,” he said. (NAN)