The Nigerian Army, on Tuesday, addressed the recent unrest involving soldiers and civilians at Banex Plaza in Wuse, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Army spokesman Major General Onyema Nwachukwu stated that the plaza was closed following the incident on Saturday, May 18, 2024, to investigate the “cruel treatment” inflicted on “unarmed soldiers” by some individuals at the trade plaza.
He described the attack on the soldiers as “entirely unwarranted and unjustifiable.”
The Army said a “meeting was convened with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the heinous act by temporarily shutting down activities in the plaza to ensure that the hoodlums who have been using the Banex neighborhood as a sanctuary to pose a security threat to the Federal Capital Territory were apprehended”.
“This, is in furtherance of the need for extensive investigation to be conducted at the scene to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of this mayhem.
“This investigation ultimately aims at ensuring the security of the Federal Capital Territory and to prevent such unwarranted attacks on own personnel and other security operatives, as has been observed in other areas, such as the unfortunate attack in Okuama,” the statement added.
The Army condemned the attack on its personnel and urged members of the public to exercise caution and restraint when interacting with military personnel and other security operatives. They encouraged Nigerians to utilize official channels to report grievances or misconduct by military personnel.
Soldiers and policemen had taken control of the popular plaza over the weekend following a skirmish involving traders and soldiers.
According to a source, the altercation began when three soldiers confronted a trader over a phone issue in the area.
The parties involved seemed to disagree on the phone matter, leading to an escalation of the situation.
The trader, whose shop was situated in the complex, claimed that the phone dealers outnumbered and overwhelmed the unidentified soldiers and a civilian.
According to the police report, Suleiman Ahmed acquired a phone from Suleiman Ibrahim, a shop owner at Banex Plaza. Later, the buyer, accompanied by four soldiers, sought a replacement from the seller upon discovering that the phone was faulty. This request was met with resistance from the shop owner.