Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria has escalated pressure on Nigerian authorities by releasing the photograph of one of the women allegedly shot dead by soldiers during a protest in Lamurde Local Government Area, Adamawa State.
The rights organization condemned the “horrific use of excessive force” and demanded a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into the killings.
AI identified the victim as Mary Talmon, one of the nine women killed on Monday, December 8, 2025, when soldiers allegedly opened fire on demonstrators in Lamorde Local Government Area.
“Mary Talmon is one of the nine women killed on Monday 8 December 2025, when the military opened fire during a protest over lingering communal clashes at Lamorde in Adamawa state,” Amnesty International said in a post on social media.
The organisation said the protesting women were reportedly unarmed and demonstrating peacefully to demand stronger government intervention against the persistent and deadly communal clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities in the area.
Amnesty International stated that the deployment of security agencies often results in the escalation of violence, rather than control.
It said: “The Nigerian authorities must transparently and impartially investigate this alleged horrific use of excessive force by the military.”
Recall that the Nigerian Army had denied killing anyone, claiming that the deaths were caused by a local militia that “opened fire in the area” due to “unprofessional handling of automatic weapons.”
However, Amnesty International’s Nigeria office maintains that it confirmed soldiers killed the nine protesters, citing accounts from witnesses and families of the victims.
It also criticized the Federal and State Governments’ response to the communal violence itself, calling it “totally inadequate, too slow and ineffective” in addressing the long-running conflict.
“The Nigerian authorities’ response to the communal violence between Bachama and Chobo tribes is totally inadequate, too slow and ineffective,” the organisation said.
According to the statement, security agencies have often arrived late at scenes of violence, and in cases where they did respond, such as in Lamorde, their actions allegedly escalated the situation.
“In cases where the Nigerian security agencies did respond to communal violence, as it happened in Lamorde LGA on Monday, December 8, 2025, they use excessive or unlawful force resulting in even more deaths and destruction,” Amnesty added.
© 2025 Naijaonpoint, a division of NOP Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]