At least 20 people are believed to have lost their lives after suspected ethnic militias carried out coordinated assaults on Kwah and Gyakan communities in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Lamurde, widely regarded as one of the state’s flashpoints, has recorded more than ten clashes between rival groups in the past six months.
A dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the area since December last year remains in place amid recurring attacks that have reportedly resulted in hundreds of casualties.
Residents said gunmen from one faction launched an early morning raid on Gyakan on Saturday, setting houses ablaze and forcing many residents to flee.
The attackers were later reported to have moved on to Kwah, located about 20 kilometres away, where they continued their rampage—looting valuables and torching buildings. The casualty figure may rise, as more bodies were discovered by locals after security operatives eventually arrived.
A resident, Onisimus Onisimond, disclosed that four additional corpses were found as of 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, with expectations that the toll could increase further.
Speaking from one of the affected communities, a former Supervisory Councillor in Lamurde, Carlos Nicodemus, described the incident as devastating.
He said hundreds of armed assailants stormed Gyakan on motorcycles between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, wielding AK-47 rifles and machetes. According to him, the attackers targeted helpless residents before advancing to Kwah, where the destruction continued.
“They arrived in large numbers, firing shots and burning homes. In Gyakan alone, 10 bodies were recovered, while one person was killed in Kwah. More than 400 houses have been razed,” Nicodemus stated.
He further explained that the delayed response by security personnel—reportedly over 30 hours after the incident—hindered immediate recovery of victims.
“After troops secured the area, five more bodies were discovered, bringing the death toll to 20,” he added.
Nicodemus also noted that fear and insecurity prevented families from promptly burying their dead until the military restored calm.
The protracted conflict, believed to stem from land disputes spanning nearly three decades, has claimed over 3,000 lives and led the Adamawa State Government to establish a commission of inquiry.
Reacting, former Village Head of Gyakan, Wali Batakuma, described the attack as shocking and particularly brutal.
“We were completely caught off guard. Armed men on motorcycles, suspected to be from the Chobo ethnic group, carried out a coordinated assault—shooting, burning homes, and attacking fleeing residents with machetes,” he said.
Batakuma insisted the affected communities did nothing to provoke the attack, adding that more than 400 houses were destroyed and properties looted.
He also faulted the slow response of security agencies, noting that help came only after significant damage had been done.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Chino faction were unsuccessful.
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