Abuja’s popular Banex Plaza, an electronics and telecommunications gadget market, has been closed down since Saturday following a fracas between the traders and soldiers.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that soldiers were seen at the market on Monday morning as some traders milled around at a distance, waiting for hours.
Some videos on social media showed soldiers chasing people and punishing others.
Some troops also patrolled the plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja, in their vans.
The traders lamented that closure of the plaza on a major day like Monday would have cost implication for them.
On Saturday, thugs physically assaulted some soldiers who had a minor disagreement with a trader in the plaza.
It was learnt that a faulty phone was sold to a buyer, who invited soldiers. Instead of amicable resolution of the issue, the trader reportedly mobilised thugs who assaulted the soldiers – kicking and hitting them.
The police waded into the fracas, but the soldiers returned to the plaza later in the day, forcing traders to shut down immediately.
Since Saturday when the fracas started, authorities of the Nigerian Army were yet to make a statement as its spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu has remained silent.
