A commotion erupted on Saturday at the popular Banex Plaza phone market in Wuse 2, Abuja, as soldiers clashed with traders over the sale of a defective phone.
According to a report by Daily Trust, the altercation began after a disagreement between some traders and soldiers. A trader, speaking anonymously, mentioned that he learned about the incident from his employees at the shop. “I am not currently in the market, but I called my boys at the shop and they told me there was a disagreement between some boy and soldiers,” he said.
A video of the incident, seen by the newspaper, shows a heated argument between a group of young men and two soldiers. The situation quickly escalated as the young men formed smaller groups and began attacking their targets aggressively.
In the video, a man in civilian clothing was also assaulted by the mob, though it remains unclear if he is affiliated with the military. Following the clash, traders were seen locking up their shops, fearing a potential reprisal from the soldiers.
As of the time of reporting, military authorities have not commented on the incident. However, PararallelFact reported that SP Josephine Adeh, spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, confirmed that Commissioner of Police Benett Igweh had deployed officers from the FCT Intelligence Response Team to the scene.
“The CP has deployed the Intelligence Response Team to the scene,” Adeh stated.
