The Nigerian Army has announced the immediate reopening of Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, following several days of closure.
The Army, however, stated that Shop C93, where the incident occurred, will remain closed until the shop owners who orchestrated the mob attack on the soldiers are arrested and handed over to the Nigerian Police.
Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, disclosed this in a statement on Monday after a high-level meeting in the office of the National Security Adviser, which included the Principal General Staff Officer to the NSA.
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the FCT Director of the Department of State Services, the leadership and management of Banex Plaza, a representative from the Directorate of Abuja Environmental Protection Board, and the National Chairman of the Mobile Phone Traders Association.
Nwachukwu said that the primary objective of the meeting was to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and ensure the continued security of the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the resolutions from the meeting included the immediate reopening of the plaza, with Shop C93 remaining closed. Additionally, the shop owners involved in the attack should be arrested and handed to the police. Market leaders must also remain vigilant and report any remaining perpetrators to the authorities.
Nwachukwu also said the two individuals already arrested had been handed over to the headquarters of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police for further action, adding that the Nigerian Army will thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the presence of its personnel at the plaza and the subsequent attack.
This decision comes barely two days after Peter Obi, the Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate, called for the immediate reopening of the plaza, advising that the indefinite closure of the business premises was unwise.
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