Nigerian Army Breaks Silence On Closure Of Banex Plaza

The Nigerian Army, or NA, has broken silence on the temporary shutdown of the famous Banex Plaza in Wuse, 2, says it is to enable the arrest of the hoodlums who attacked two soldiers at the complex.

On Saturday, 18th May, there was a civilian-soldier outburst at the plaza when some traders engaged two soldiers in a fight.

Eyewitness reports revealed that the soldiers visited the plaza to complain about a mobile phone, which led to an argument with the traders, and a fight ensued.

After engaging the officers of the Nigerian Army, many shop owners packed up their business for the day to avoid being caught in a reprisal attack.

Three days later, on Monday, the Nigerian Army visited the plaza, which resulted in its temporary closure.

Following the closure, shop owners at the plaza, primarily those innocent of the incident, are clamouring for the reopening of the plaza, and the NA has come out to give a statement.

In a statement on Tuesday, which partly reads:

It is essential that the soldiers attacked were unarmed, 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.

However, in response to the incident, the Nigerian Army claimed to have held a meeting with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and temporarily shut down any activities in the complex.

According to the NA, this would allow for an “extensive investigation” to be conducted at the scene to determine the cause of the incident and possibly to prevent further attacks on army personnel and other security operatives in the country.

The Nigerian Army has since urged public members to exercise caution and restraint in engaging military personnel, especially when they are in uniform while encouraging citizens always to utilise the medium of reporting any misconduct of its personnel. 

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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