The Nigerian Army has explained the reason for the closure of the popular Banex Plaza in Abuja.
PulseNets reports that there was a clash between some soldiers and traders at the plaza over the sale of a “substandard” phone.
I’m a statement on Tuesday, May 21, Army’s spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said it has instituted a probe into the circumstances that surrounded the presence of its personnel at the Banex plaza and the attack that ensued.
It said the investigation was aimed at ensuring the security of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and to prevent “such unwarranted attacks on own personnel.”
Gen. Nwachukwu said: “the soldiers that attacked were ‘unarmed, and did not engage in any form of aggression, and posed no threat to anyone, therefore, the cruel treatment meted out to them was entirely unwarranted and unjustifiable.
“A swift intervention by soldiers and policemen on internal security duties salvaged the situation and rescued the attacked personnel from being lynched by the hoodlums.
“In response to this unfortunate incident, a meeting was convened with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of this 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.”
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The army spokesperson said such acts of violence against personnel were not only condemnable, but could degenerate to a breakdown of law and order, orchestrating threats to national security.
He urged the public to “exercise caution and restraint in dealing with military personnel and other security operatives, especially when they are in uniform,” as there are “established channels through which grievances or misconduct by personnel could be reported to the appropriate authorities.”
