Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd), the army sealing off Banex Plaza a scene where some soldiers were recently assaulted by phone traders in Abuja was justified.
Last Saturday, thugs hired by the phone traders allegedly descended on the soldiers who had gone to the shopping mall to complain about a faulty phone that was sold to them. The Military Police had laid siege to the Plaza since Saturday. A lady who attempted to cross the barricades was reportedly slapped viciously by one of the soldiers on guard.
Speaking on Arise TV Wednesday, General Irabor stated that it was wrong for men in Uniform to be assaulted by civilians, adding that the army would remain in the premises till the culprits are brought to book.
“The Banex incident is a very sad one. Sad one in the sense that when you see a soldier in uniform whether armed or not … .This applies to any uniformed person for as long as he is an agent of the state. An attack on him is an attack on the state, so any Nigerian of goodwill must condemn such an act.
“For me, I join to support the closure of Banex Plaza for as long as it takes to have anyone responsible for that dastardly act brought to justice. This is because if we fail to do so, we will be calling for anarchy.
“The only men who are sacrificing their lives to ensure our collective good are members of the armed forces, the police, and other security agencies.
“The media has created an awareness that in our civics, there are people you must respect. You have to put the context in setting the agenda for this discussion. The populace needs to be re-educated to understand the place of national security and the responsibility of each and every one of us in preserving the sanctity of our various establishments that seek to make us live in a very good environment.”
Irabor called for cooperation from the plaza’s leadership in the ongoing investigation so as to bring out the perpetrators of the crime to book.
“I believe Banex Plaza has leadership because they need to cooperate appropriately so that whatever investigation is ongoing can be concluded, and they must also cooperate by bringing out those who committed that act,” he said.
