Men of the Nigerian Police force and Nigerian army took over the Bannex Plaza at Abuja after traders confronted men of the Nigerian army in Abuja yesterday.
The fight broke out yesterday when a trader who spoke with newsmen on the condition of anonymity said the confrontation was about a phone issue that the soldiers appeared to have purchased from a sales rep.
Men of the Nigerian Army brought back the phone after it appeared they noticed a fault in the phone they purchased.
The commissioner of Police of the FCT CP Benneth Igweh made a call this afternoon in a statement issued by FCT police spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, that members of the public should continue with their normal activities as they have taken care of the situation.
Adeh, a superintendent of Police, said security operatives comprising the police and troops were deployed to restore law and order.
“Following a reported unrest at Bannex Plaza today being May 18, 2024 at about 01:30 PM, involving some occupants of the plaza, customers and some soldiers, operatives of the FCT police command, swiftly mobilized the scene, assessed the situation and restored order.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that one Suleiman Ahmed who had earlier gotten a phone from one Suleiman Ibrahim, a shop owner at New Bannex, went with four soldiers to persuade the seller for replacement upon discovery that the phone is faulty, which met the resistance of the shop owner. This action resulted in a confrontation and squabble with the military personnel. This development led some irate mobs to attack the military personnel which led to an uproar in the environment.
“All parties were invited for questioning, the military personnel have been handed over to their organization for necessary action to be taken,” Adeh said.
