Comrade Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed deep grief and outrage over the killing of nine women by soldiers during a peaceful protest in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
The women were part of a community demonstration calling for government action on worsening insecurity when soldiers allegedly opened fire. Nine died on the spot. Fifty-one others remain hospitalised with severe gunshot wounds.
Frank, in a strongly worded statement issued in Abuja, said the incident represents “a new low in Nigeria’s long list of avoidable tragedies” and warned that the nation is “drifting into dangerous territory where human life no longer carries value.”
He described the victims as “ordinary women whose only demand was the right to live without fear.” These women, he said, were mothers, traders and caregivers whose communities depended on them. “Their protest was a cry for help. Instead of listening, the state answered with bullets.”
According to Frank, the Adamawa killings fit into a disturbing pattern of state violence across the continent. He pointed to the growing number of Nigerian youths—over 10,000 by various human-rights estimates—who have died or disappeared due to military operations, raids, and extrajudicial actions. “We cannot continue to normalise bloodshed,” he said.
Frank criticised the Nigerian government’s history of launching investigative panels that produce no results, calling them “theatre performances used to buy time, erase accountability and silence public anger.” From the Lekki Toll Gate shootings to violent crackdowns in other African countries, he said, “the script is always the same—kill, deny, set up a panel, bury the truth.”
The ULMWP Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East laid out a series of non-negotiable demands:
Immediate arrest and prosecution of all military officers involved—both those who fired shots and the commanders who authorised the operation.
Full compensation for families of the deceased, including scholarships for the victims’ children and sustainable welfare support systems.
An urgent International Criminal Court (ICC) inquiry into military abuses in Nigeria and across Africa.
Sanctions and travel bans on military and political leaders who enable or cover up the killing of unarmed civilians
Frank, who also serves as Senior Advisor to the U.S.-based Global Friendship City Association (GFCA), appealed to the global community—women’s movements, human rights groups, civil society and grassroots activists—to demand justice for the Yola Nine.
He made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump and the U.S. government to use their influence to push for accountability. “The world cannot remain silent,” he said. “The U.S. has shown willingness to stand with oppressed African citizens; we need that bold leadership again.”
Frank described the Adamawa killings as “a scar on Nigeria’s conscience and a warning sign for Africa’s future.” He insisted that allowing soldiers to shoot peaceful citizens without consequence would only embolden further abuses.
“The Yola Nine deserve justice—not lip service, not another white-washed panel, but real accountability,” he said. “This tragedy must be the moment Nigeria draws the line and says: never again.”
Timi Frank Mourns ‘Adamawa Nine’, Says Nigeria Cannot Move On From “This National Shame”
