Nigeria: Army Reopens Popular Abuja Plaza After Attack On Troops

The Management of Banex Plaza and the Nigerian Army have reached a truce, after a directive was given on Monday for an “immediate” reopening of the business facility which is one of the most lively business hub in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

In an update on Monday, the Nigerian Army said in the aftermath of the unprovoked attack on its personnel on Saturday, May 18 leading to the subsequent closure of the Plaza, “a high-level meeting was convened in the Office of the National Security Adviser including  the Principal General Staff Officer to the NSA, Commissioner of Police 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”.

The Army said the primary objective of this meeting was to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and ensure the continued security of the Federal Capital Territory.

“The following resolutions were agreed upon:

“a. Immediate reopening of Banex Plaza: Banex Plaza will be reopened immediately to the public.

“b. Closure of Shop C93: The leadership of Banex Plaza is instructed to lock up Shop C93 with immediate effect.

“c. Arrest of Perpetrators: The owners of the shop who orchestrated the mob attack on the soldiers are to be arrested and handed over to the Nigerian Police.

“d. Vigilance by Market Leaders: Market leaders are to remain vigilant and report any remaining perpetrators to the authorities,” a statement by Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations stated.

The Army added that furthermore, the two individuals already arrested have been handed over to the headquarters of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police for further action, and that it will also thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the presence of its personnel at the plaza and the subsequent attack.

In a separate statement on Monday, the Management of Banex Plaza issued an unreserved apology to the Nigerian Army over the incident, insisting that the perpetrators are “non-shop owners”.

“We the shop owners of Banex Plaza regret and sincerely apologize for our gross negligence and misconduct.

“It has been understood that the peretrators are non-shop owners who usually flock around the environment. We have tried to fish them out but to no avail.

“This is the only source of livelihood for most of us and we can no longer feed well. Our goods have been locked up and we can barely survive,” the apology signed in an official statement read.