Rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who ran for president in 2023, took to his social media platform on Tuesday to criticize the Nigerian Army’s closure of the Banex Plaza in Abuja.
“Posting on his X account on Tuesday, Sowore said the act was a repression of the civilian spaces by soldiers, and that it should be stopped,” according to reports.
This closure follows a clash between soldiers and traders at the plaza on Saturday. The cause of the altercation reportedly stemmed from the sale of a “faulty phone” by a trader to a soldier.
The Army, however, maintains that the closure was a response to “yet to be identified hoodlums” who “launched a brutal attack on some Nigerian Army personnel.”
A statement released by the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, detailed the Army’s perspective:
“Following the recent unrest at Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, on Saturday 18 May 2024, by yet to be identified hoodlums who launched a brutal attack on some Nigerian Army personnel, 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.
“It is important to note 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.
“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.”
Sowore, however, disputes the Army’s narrative and calls for an end to the closure:
“Sowore asked the army authorities to swiftly end the siege and order the soldiers to leave the civilian space.
He said, “It is unheard of, even under military rule, that civilian spaces would be shut down in a business that employs thousands over a disagreement between soldiers and civilians.
“The Nigerian army should stop military men who are not on active duties from putting on uniforms, so many of these military men have been caught in heinous crimes.
“Recently, the @HQNigerianArmy leveled a village in Delta state, and now you’re using the might of the military to shut down commercial activities in a matter that is purely a civil matter; military men have abducted journalists and arbitrarily engaged in repression.”
“These acts must stop immediately! #RevolutionNow,”
All this military men sef be doing too much this days
That’s to tell you no one is happy with the present situation of the country because people’s mind has been messed up with so many nonsense from our leaders
Let them take it easy and do the right thing available
This issues is too much government should do something ooh about it.
Hmm
🤔 hoodlums launching attack on soldiers keh
This people get mind oo
We are in a lawless country so everything goes
Hoodlum and soldier, people no dey fear again sha… county don spoil
Let them take it easy and be coming down with their lifestyle
The things that happen in this country is not even funny.