· Ignores Reps call to reopen plaza
By Laraba MUREY
Nine days and counting, there is no indication that the Nigerian Army was willing to order its personnel to end their siege to Banex Plaza.
The plaza was controversially closed to commercial activities following a brush between two solidiers, their civilian accomplice and some miscreants at the popular electronics and smart phone hub on Saturday, May 18, 2024.
The Army had said the move was aimed at forestalling threat to general peace and to apprehend those responsible for the assault on its mean.
The continued blockade is against calls by the House of Representatives last Thursday on the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army to reopen the besieged plaza and allow resumption of business activities.
The House also called for the utilization of modern technology, like surveillance and closed-circuit television, to identify and apprehend those responsible for the recent attack on Army personnel in the plaza.
The resolutions followed the adoption of an urgent motion, sponsored by Hon. Whingan Oluwaseun.
Moving the motion, Oluwaseun noted the recent turmoil at Banex Plaza, Wuse, Abuja, on May 18, 2024, which saw hoodlums assaulting Nigerian Army personnel. It further recognized the prompt response of soldiers and police officers in rescuing the besieged personnel.
He noted that the soldiers targeted in the attack were unarmed and posed no threat, deeming the assault unjustifiable, adding that the temporary closure of Banex Plaza, a vital commercial center with adverse impact on businesses and the economy can have a negative impact.
“There is a growing concern about the excessive dependence on conventional, heavy-handed approaches in civil matters, leading to avoidable disruptions.”
He further expressed concerns regarding the deployment of military personnel in civilian affairs, diverting their focus from their core responsibility of national defense.
Since the shutting down of the hub, traders who own businesses have bemoaned their losses which they estimated runs into hundreds of millions.
“I can’t tell you how much I have lost including other businesses. Banex isn’t just about the shops but the hundreds of youths who eek their living here. We have repairers, agents, food vendors, small time retailers and suppliers. We can’t access our shops. Some of us have goods we have cleared and we also need to settle bills.
“I wonder why the government is keeping quiet over this matter. We are all Nigerians and nobody has more rights than others,” a distraught shop owner who asked not to be named for fear or being targeted.
Speaking on the continued closure of the plaza, Kemi Yesufu, a journalist and publisher, said, “The other time it was a disgruntled customer who took DSS operatives to Garki Model Market to harass a tailor and the tailor and a sales girl at another shop landed in hospital with gunshot wounds. The latest is the fracas at the ever bustling Banex Plaza Wuse 2 caused by military police officers who came confront a phone seller with a dissatisfied buyer.
“I have always wondered when Nigeria will eventually get over the hangover from military dictatorships? I wonder when we will ever respect the rule of law and see each other as human beings and not animals which must be harnessed with bit and bridle as described in the Bible? I also still cannot understand why Commander-in-Chief after C-in-C keeps tolerating the abuse of the power by uniformed men? The continued acceptance of the abuse of the privileges of being personnel of our security agencies by the C-in-C explains the continued reoccurrence of the incidents I highlighted earlier. President after President has failed to re-orientate our security agencies and change their majorly brutish mentality. Uninformed men and women must undergo reorientation and the respect for civilians/rule of law ingrained in their training.”
