The traders who feared that there would be a reprisal from the soldiers hurriedly closed their shops to avoid being caught up in the melee.
A large number of soldiers have continued to lay siege to the popular Banex Plaza in Abuja three days after a violent clash between some traders and military personnel in the area despite police intervention.
The plaza has been deserted since unrest ensued last weekend following the sale of a ‘faulty phone’ by a trader to a soldier.
The traders who feared that there would be a reprisal from the soldiers hurriedly closed their shops to avoid being caught up in the melee.
Surprisingly, they got more than what they bargained for on Monday when soldiers took over the plaza and harassed innocent people in the process.
Checks on Tuesday showed that several vehicles belonging to the military had been stationed at strategic locations in the area.
Personnel from the Guard Brigade were seen wielding guns and keeping vigil around the plaza.
The traders and shop owners have been prevented from accessing the plaza and many of them have lamented their losses, SaharaReporters were told.
Both human and vehicular movements have been restricted in the area while business activities have been paralysed. Many residents in the area could not access their homes as the soldiers barricaded roads in the area.
The commercial hub in the nation’s capital was on Saturday, May 18 thrown into pandemonium when the traders were seen in a viral video beating some soldiers.
It took the intervention of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command to restore normalcy in the area to prevent a total breakdown of law and order.
The police said in a statement issued by Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh that they had invited all the parties for questioning and that the military personnel involved had been handed over to the army for necessary action.
Sahara Reporters
