The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army to immediately reopen Banex Plaza in Abuja.
The military had taken over the plaza since the attack on its personnel by civilians on Saturday, May 18, 2024.
The House compared the response of the military to the reprisal attacks in Okuama community and condemned the overbearing approach in handling civil matters.
The motion was moved by Honourable Sesi Winghan, who decried the inappropriate use of military men to handle such matters.
Explaining reason behind the closure of the plaza in a statement on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the army, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the plaza was shut after the incident on Saturday, May 18, 2024 to probe the “cruel treatment” meted out to “unarmed soldiers” by some persons at the trade plaza.
He said the attack on the soldiers was “entirely unwarranted and unjustifiable”.
The Army said a “meeting was convened with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the 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”.
“This, is in furtherance of the need for extensive investigation to be conducted at the scene to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of this mayhem.
“This investigation ultimately aims at ensuring the security of the Federal Capital Territory and to prevent such unwarranted attacks on own personnel and other security operatives, as has been observed in other areas, such as the unfortunate attack in Okuama,” the statement added.
The Army condemned attack on its personnel and enjoined members of the public to exercise caution and restraint in dealing with military personnel and other security operatives, urging Nigerians to explore official channels to report grievances or misconduct by its personnel.