Rights Group Sues FG Over Alleged Army Killing of Women Protesters in Adamawa

Rights Group Sues FG Over Alleged Army Killing of Women Protesters in Adamawa

A human rights organisation, Cadrell Advocacy Centre, has sued the Federal Government of Nigeria before the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over the alleged extra-judicial killing of at least nine unarmed women protesters by soldiers of the Nigerian Army in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The suit, filed at the regional court in Abuja, was instituted by Cadrell in the public interest and on behalf of the victims and their families. The organisation, led by its Executive Director, Mr. Evans Ufeli, accused Nigerian security forces of using excessive and lethal force against civilians engaged in a peaceful protest, describing the incident as a grave violation of regional and international human rights laws.

The case arose from events of December 8, 2025, when women in Lamurde staged a road protest to express anger over what they said was the failure of security agencies to enforce a government-imposed curfew amid violent clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities.

According to court filings, the protesters were unarmed and posed no imminent threat when they encountered soldiers of the Nigerian Army, who were attempting to pass through the area. Witnesses and relatives of the victims reportedly told investigators that after the road was temporarily blocked, one soldier fired shots into the air, after which other soldiers opened fire on the women.

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At least nine women were killed instantly, while several others sustained gunshot injuries. The incident was widely reported by national media, including Premium Times.

Amnesty International Nigeria also independently confirmed that the killings were carried out by soldiers of the Nigerian Army, relying on eyewitness accounts and testimonies from victims’ families.

Cadrell told the ECOWAS Court that despite the gravity of the incident, the Nigerian Army denied responsibility, blaming a local militia, without conducting any transparent, independent or impartial investigation. The group added that months after the killings, no soldier has been arrested, prosecuted or disciplined, and no compensation has been paid to the affected families.

The rights organisation argued that the actions of the soldiers violated the victims’ right to life, human dignity, peaceful assembly, equality before the law and access to effective remedy, as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Cadrell further maintained that the ECOWAS Court has jurisdiction to hear the matter, noting that Nigeria is a signatory to the ECOWAS Treaty, the Court’s Protocol, and the African Charter, and that exhaustion of domestic remedies is not required under the court’s human rights framework.

Among the reliefs sought, the group is asking the court to declare Nigeria liable for the actions of the Nigerian Army, order an independent investigation into the Lamurde killings, and compel the prosecution of those responsible.

The organisation is also seeking compensation for injured victims and families of the deceased, as well as N10 billion in general damages against the Federal Government.

Rights Group Sues FG Over Alleged Army Killing of Women Protesters in Adamawa