The Nigerian Army has provided an update on the temporary closure of Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, following a recent incident where soldiers were brutally attacked by yet-to-be-identified hoodlums.
In a press statement issued on Monday via X by the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army shed light on the circumstances surrounding the closure and the measures being taken to address the security situation.
According to the statement, a group of hoodlums launched a vicious attack on some unarmed Nigerian Army personnel carrying out internal security duties in the area on Saturday.
“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,” Nwachukwu stated.
In response to this “unfortunate incident,” a meeting was convened with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Army temporarily shut down activities in the plaza “to ensure that the hoodlums who have been using the Banex neighbourhood as a sanctuary to pose a security threat to the Federal Capital Territory were apprehended.”
The statement emphasised the need for “extensive investigation to be conducted at the scene to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of this mayhem.”
