Dozens of residents are feared dead after heavily armed Chobo-speaking tribal militia from neighbouring Gombe State joined by counterparts in Adamawa launched coordinated, brutal attacks on Bachama communities in the Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The violence reportedly began when the attackers advanced from the creeks bordering Gombe, sweeping through several settlements from the western axis and sacking villages including Tingno and Waduku among others.
According to local sources, residents were caught off-guard as assailants stormed their homes and opened fire indiscriminately. One source described how Waduku and Tingno were burnt “to ashes,” forcing panicked villagers to flee. “Our youths mobilised quickly to stop them from pushing into Rigange,” the source said. Attempts by survivors to repel the attackers appear to have delayed a push toward the Lamurde council headquarters though by that point, the two villages had already been completely destroyed.
The attacks come days after a fragile peace deal brokered by the state government between warring factions from the Chobo and Bachama communities a deal many had hoped would usher in stability. In response to the fresh eruption of violence, the state governor has declared a 24-hour curfew across Lamurde LGA and ordered immediate deployment of security operatives to the flashpoints.
The spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, warned residents to comply strictly with the curfew order, stay indoors, and assist security efforts by providing any useful information. He said additional tactical units have been deployed and vowed that the command, in collaboration with sister agencies, would not allow miscreants to operate unchecked.
As Lamurde reels from bloodshed and displacement, questions arise over how the peace accord collapsed so quickly and whether security measures and intelligence frameworks were sufficient to prevent such an escalation. Meanwhile, surviving residents face deep uncertainty, fear, and grief over the destruction of lives, homes, and entire villages.
Published by Dalena Reporters.