The number of fatalities in Monday’s violent incident in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State has climbed to nine, with 51 others currently receiving treatment for gunshot wounds sustained during a protest allegedly disrupted by soldiers escorting a senior army officer.
Community sources confirmed to Sahara Reporter on Tuesday that the victims, mostly women, were protesting a renewed communal conflict when the soldiers reportedly opened fire.
“After the dust settled and a proper count was taken, these are the figures: 9 dead; 23 in hospital in Numan; 28 in hospital in Yola, bringing the total to 60,” a community elder said.
He said several homes, farmlands, domestic animals, and other valuables worth hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed during the unrest, which further escalated tensions in the troubled region.
However, the 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army denied the allegations in a statement released on Tuesday by its Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Captain Olusegun Abidoye.
According to the statement, troops from the army, the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) were deployed to clear barricades set up by the protesters to prevent what was described as an attempt to torch the Lamurde council secretariat.
The army said, “The commander was not at the scene. Brigadier General Amechi Agwu was virtually attending the Chief of Army Staff’s operational briefing at the time of the alleged shooting.”
The army maintained that no civilian was shot by its personnel and insisted the security operation was in response to reported threats from armed militia groups amid ongoing clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities.
With many victims said to be in critical condition, local residents fear the casualty figure could rise.
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