A human rights organisation, Cadrell Advocacy Centre, has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over the alleged killing of unarmed women protesters by soldiers of the Nigerian Army in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The suit, instituted in Abuja, was filed in the public interest and on behalf of the victims and their families. Cadrell accused Nigerian security forces of deploying excessive and lethal force against civilians during a peaceful protest, describing the incident as a serious violation of regional and international human rights laws.
The case is linked to events of December 8, 2025, when women in Lamurde reportedly blocked a road in protest against what they described as the failure of security agencies to enforce a government-imposed curfew amid violent clashes between the Bachama and Chobo communities.
According to court documents, the protesters were unarmed and posed no threat when soldiers encountered them while attempting to pass through the area. Witness accounts alleged that after a soldier fired shots into the air, other soldiers opened fire on the women, killing at least nine of them instantly and injuring several others.
The incident was widely reported by national media and later corroborated by Amnesty International Nigeria, which said its findings, based on eyewitness testimonies and family accounts, confirmed that the killings were carried out by Nigerian Army personnel.
Cadrell told the court that despite the gravity of the incident, the Nigerian Army denied responsibility and blamed a local militia, without conducting any transparent, independent or impartial investigation. The group added that months after the killings, no arrests or prosecutions have been made, and no compensation has been paid to the victims’ families.
Led by its Executive Director, Evans Ufeli, the organisation argued that the actions of the soldiers violated the victims’ rights to life, human dignity, peaceful assembly, equality before the law and access to justice, as guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Cadrell 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 local remedies is not required in human rights cases before the court.
Among its requests, the group asked the court to declare Nigeria liable for the actions of the soldiers, order an independent investigation into the Lamurde killings, compel the prosecution of those responsible, and award compensation to the injured victims and families of the deceased.
The organisation is also seeking ₦10 billion in general damages against the Federal Government and urged the court to mandate reforms governing military engagement with civilian protesters, warning that failure to ensure accountability could further erode public trust in security agencies and undermine the rule of law.
