Banex plaza closure: Tenants lament, give details of assault on military officers

The tenants association of Banex Plaza at Wuse 2 in Abuja has lamented the prolonged closure of the plaza as a result of the fracas that ensued between some military officers and perceived traders last week.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Vice Chairman of Banex Plaza Wuse 2 Tenants Association, Cornelius Olayemi, to have said the closure of the plaza has cost them over N7 billion in one week.

Recall that on May 18, a video surfaced online showing some youths, believed to be traders beating some soldiers at the shopping centre, over a misunderstanding between a phone seller and a yet-to-be-identified solider.

The situation quickly deteriorated and security personnel have been stationed at the plaza with the place cordoned off, running for more than a week now.

Addressing select journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Olayemi explained that the closure of the premises was also taking a toll on banks and consulting firms, and not just only shop owners.

Olayemi, who was flanked by Chibuike Nzedinma (Chairman), Sunday Nnachita (BoT Chairman), Nkoli Nnachukwu (Treasurer), Emeka Mba (Financial Secretary) and 3 others, appealed to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration to resolve the matter amicably and quickly, for them to return to their businesses.

Olayemi, who gave a detailed account of what transpired that the military officers were assaulted, said: “If we are to put a figure to it, I am sure it is up to N7 billion that we have lost.

“Also, in a little headcount, the number of shops is more than 800 in Banex both the old and the new plaza and then if you take a minimum of four probably the owner of the shop of the business and then another three are staff.

“We are talking of almost 5, 000 persons, 5, 000 families affected in FCT. There are five banks in Banex. There are also professionals like chartered accountants having their offices, eye clinics, lawyers and a lot of chambers in Banex not just traders. But people keep feeling that they are only traders in Banex.

“We are very law-abiding, very peaceful. A lot of us are graduates. Then we went into entrepreneurship on our own. We are very peaceful.

“We want to also use this to say publicly say that what happened would have been avoidable if the buyer had come to the union. So we facilitate with those that were handled. But it quite regrettable,” he said.

While speaking on the video, he said: “Please, note that that video in the public domain is an abridged version of the incident that happened.

“To start with, we unequivocally condemn the attack on the soldiers as reprehensible and therefore does not represent the peaceful image of the plaza and its tenants since inception.

“However, various versions of what led to this incident have been put out from various quarters leading to skewed information, therefore it has become pertinent to set the record straight as gathered from investigations and eyewitnesses.”

He said the insistence of the Army for them to produce those who beat up the soldiers was not feasible because “they are not our members and the seller whose shop all these started is known to the army and the police.”

Read the full text of the press briefing below:

PRESS CONFERENCE BY BANEX PLAZA WUSE 2 TENANTS ASSOCIATION IN RESPECT OF THE ASSAULT OF MILITARY OFFICERS BY MISCREANTS ON THE 18TH OF MAY 2024 AT BANEX PLAZA.

Gentlemen of the press, the  Leadership of Banex plaza wuse 2 Tenant’s Association are pleased to welcome you to this press briefing. We have called for this briefing to avail you with the undiluted and unscrewed story about what happened on 18th of May 2024 before hoodlums hijacked the situation to unleash near fatal attack on soldiers. This incident has been captured in an amateur video which has since gone viral. Please note that that video in the public domain is an abridged version of the incident that happened.

To start with, we unequivocally condemn the attack on the soldiers as reprehensible and therefore does not represent the peaceful image of the plaza and its tenants since inception. Once again, we condemn the unpatriotic incident and deeply regret it’s outxome. However, various versions of what led to this incident have been put out from various quarters leading to skewed information, therefore it has become pertinent to set the record straight as gathered from investigations and eye witnesses.

About five weeks to 18th of May 2024, one Suleiman Ahmed a civilian had gone to shop c93 operated by one Mr kola Suleiman ibrahim within the new banex plaza and purchased a brand new iPhone 15 128gb to which receipt of purchase was issued. Five weeks later, the buyer returned to the seller to complain of faulty phone.

The seller examined the phone and it was revealed that the phone battery was swollen due to over charging. The seller in other to maintain good customer relationship, fixed the phone by replacing the battery with a new one at no cost to the buyer. The iPhone was operating normal and was handed back to the buyer. The buyer however insisted on replacement of the phone after he had used it for  5 weeks. The seller refused to grant that demand and the buyer went away.

On the 18th of May 2024, two individuals walked into the seller’s shop and demanded for iPhone 15 Pro and same was taken off the shelf and given to one. While examining the phone two soldiers with the buyer who earlier complained of faulty phone which the seller had solved came into the shop. The soldiers demanded that the shop owner should refund the money to the complaining buyer who procured their services for replacement of the said iPhone 15 128gb earlier rectified.

The seller refused to grant the demand of the soldiers insisting that no refund or replacement can be made because it was the buyer that damaged the battery of the iPhone by sustained charging yet in his magnanimity, he had replaced the damaged battery for him for free. The soldiers won’t take any explanation other than meeting their demand.

The neighbours sensing degeneration and that this may led to wild altercation alerted the police at the police post attached to the banex plaza. An inspector, Mr Akpah came to the shop and seeing the charged situation, persuaded the soldiers to come with him to the police post along with all parties to resolve the issue peacefully.

But the soldiers would not take that and insisted that refund or replacement must happen there and then. When the police inspector could not persuade them to come for settlement, he technically arrested the shop owner and was leading him out to the police post with hope that this will placate the soldiers to follow him for settlement; but one of the individual (now known to be a soldier) held back the police man and actually struggled to dispossess him of his fire arm. At this point, to save himself, the police man released tear gas and this sent people scampering away and the same with the soldiers who were still with the iPhone 15pro they collected while pretending to be normal customers.

When the seller saw that they were running away with the iPhone 15pro , he ran after them and raised alarm which attracted the attention of everyone including passerbys and trade facilitators who are always present in most markets. These men accosted the soldiers to release the phones thinking they were robbers in disguise as often experienced in Nigeria.

It was still the police whose intervention was earlier scorned by the soldiers with the assistance of traders who rushed out of their shops that saved the soldiers. After the cessation of the avoidable hostilities, the police took all parties to police area command in Maitama from where the matter was further referred to the office of the commissioner of police FCT.  They dealt with it professionally and legally and all parties including the senior officer that represented the army appeared satisfied with the intervention of the police who has primary mandate in civil matters like we have at hand.

While this settlement was on, the army mobilised to the plaza and soldiers descended on anyone at sight around the plaza and took over the entire environment. They escalated by sealing the plaza till date, preventing legitimate businesses from engaging in their lawful ventures in and around the plaza thereby inflicting colossal damage to innocent Nigerians.

Two days later(20th May 2024), a meeting  with the army and our humble selves with the management of the plaza was called by the army. On the day of the meeting, the Brigadier General that addressed us simply gave us a matching order to go and produce all the people identified in the video as having perpetrated this shameful but avoidable brutalization of the soldiers. We were not allowed even a second to state our case and position.

There is no incident before this particular one to suggest that banex plaza is a dangerous zone for uniformed men  who work tireless under very hash economic and environmental circumstances to protect the people and ensure our territorial integrity.

This isolated case does not define us here at banex plaza which houses not just traders but also lawyers chartered accountants banks and other professionals. We call on the military high command to look at this matter dispassionately and in the interest of peace loving occupants of the plaza, please kindly reopen the plaza while investigation continue.

The people they want us to produce are not our members and the seller from whose shop all these started is known to the army and the police. Since the video of assault has captured the perpetrators, the state has the necessary technology to fish them out and it is our sincere hope that it is done so that criminals will be punished to deter others on that route. We promise to continue to work with all authorities to see to the resolution of this matter as we have apprehended a number of them and handed over to the Army.

We appeal to the Federal Government, the FCT minister and administration, the Nigerian Army and the Police,  to consider the plights of innocent businesses and reopen the plaza while investigation continue.  We also urge the general public to always channel complaints through lawful and appropriate channels.

Thank you all and God bless Nigeria.