News Rendezvous

By News Rendezvous

The Pene Da Bwatiye Development Association (PDBDA) Worldwide has demanded immediate accountability after security forces opened fire on a group of women protesting in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State on 8 December 2025.

The association says the shootings left several women dead and many injured.According to the PDBDA’s press release, twelve unarmed women who had gathered to protest delays in military response to earlier attacks were killed.

The group described the incident as “a massacre” and recalled similar, deadly military operations in past years including violence that affected communities in July.Media reports and local outlets are currently reporting varying casualty figures. Several national outlets put the number of women killed at seven, while other reports give different totals; the PDBDA’s claim of twelve dead contrasts with these media accounts.

Authorities and independent investigations have not yet confirmed a single definitive death toll.The Nigerian Army’s 23 Brigade has denied that its troops were responsible for the shootings, calling some reports “baseless and misleading” and saying soldiers were not at the scene, statements that add to the conflicting public accounts.In its statement signed by General Secretary Mr Emmanuel Pwakavi Bapatu the PDBDA issued four non-negotiable demands:

– Immediate suspension and prosecution of any soldiers found to be involved, to be tried under civilian law.

– An independent, public judicial panel of inquiry made up of civil society leaders, human rights experts and judicial officials, with its findings released publicly.

– Formal apologies and reparations from the Nigerian Army and Federal Government to the families of the victims and to those injured.

– Redeployment of current forces in the area and replacement with vetted personnel whose mandate is civilian protection.

The PDBDA has called on the President, the Governor of Adamawa and the Chief of Defence Staff to act within 72 hours.The PDBDA said the December 8 shootings follow an earlier pattern of violence that erupted in the area in July 2025 clashes that involved attacks on villages in the Rigangun–Waduku area and prompted curfews and security deployments.

The group framed the December incident as part of a continuing failure of security forces to protect civilians.State authorities, local leaders and human-rights organisations are being urged to press for an independent probe and to provide immediate assistance to survivors and families. At the time of writing, official investigations were being called for by community groups while the military’s initial denial remained part of the developing story.