Amnesty International has called for a transparent and impartial investigation into the killing of at least nine women protesters in Lamorde Local Government Area of Adamawa State, blaming the deaths on what it described as the military’s unlawful and excessive use of force.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the rights group said the military opened fire on women who were demonstrating, using live ammunition without any warning.
“The Nigerian military’s response to a demonstration by firing live ammunition without warning is unlawful,” Amnesty said.
The organisation explained that several other women were injured after being hit by bullets in different parts of their bodies.
It described the incident as horrific and accused security forces of handling civilian protests in a dangerous and unacceptable manner.
Amnesty also criticised the government’s handling of the growing ethnic conflict between the Bachama and Chobo communities, which reportedly started from disputes over land and the theft of a motorcycle.
“The Nigerian authorities’ response to the communal violence between Bachama and Chobo tribes is totally inadequate, too slow and ineffective,” the statement said.
According to Amnesty, even in cases where security agencies responded to violence, their approach often resulted in more casualties and destruction instead of restoring peace.
“In cases where the Nigerian security agencies did respond to communal violence, as it happened in Lamorde LGA on Monday 8 December 2025, they use excessive or unlawful force resulting in even more deaths and destruction.
“The continuous failure to investigate such gross human rights violations is fueling a dangerous disdain for the sanctity of human life in Nigeria,” the group added.
