- “The Guardians of the Law Must not be Above the Law” Yoruba Proverb
The horrific extrajudicial siege around Banex Plaza, Wuse II, Abuja, which started on Saturday, May 18, 2024, must end, and Global Rights demands that the Nigerian Army officials responsible be called back right away.
We acknowledge the tremendous sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform for the sake of our country’s defense, and we vehemently denounce the regrettable assault on two non-belligerent army officers at Banex Plaza by a gang of traders, which prompted the army’s retaliation. But it’s important to remind the Army that they have a fundamental obligation to uphold the law, and for that reason, we strongly condemn this excessive use of force and cruelty. We vehemently denounce the senseless attack.
Officers of the Nigerian Army have besieged Abuja’s Banex Plaza since the evening of May 18. An aggressive situation has been created at what is normally a center of business activity due to the Army trucks parked outside the gate. Apart from the intimidating impression these trucks give off, your officers have made it impossible for those who want to visit the plaza’s business owners to enter the property. Many law-abiding Nigerians who depend entirely on the profits from their enterprises to make ends meet are having their rights violated by this action.Nigeria is a signatory to the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, whose Articles 6(1) and 7 stipulate that Nigerians have the right to work and earn an honest living.
Therefore, nobody should be prevented from exercising this right by the Nigerian Army.
In addition, a non-belligerent bystander was attacked by Nigerian Army soldiers during the siege of Banex Plaza, causing him to go into a coma. On Monday, Army personnel also arrested and tortured business owner Caleb Onyemaeachi Chidera. These actions constitute additional violations of human rights. There isn’t any proof that these two individuals had anything to do with the attack on the two Army officers last Saturday.
The Nigerian Army is not imbued with the authority to conduct reprisals under the guise of carrying out a criminal investigation to uncover the soldiers’ attackers. The task of investigating is best left to the police force, which by law is entrusted with this task and the task of prosecuting the perpetrators.
Following the Armed Forces Act, it ought to be evident to all parties, including the Armed Forces, that the Act does not grant the Army the right to carry out retaliation operations in the name of conducting criminal investigations. Rather, the Nigerian Police Force is given the ability to identify, deter, and apprehend criminals under Section 4 of the Police Act 2020. Although the Army in this case can operate legally to support the police by gathering information from the officers who were attacked, they are ultimately not authorized to do this vital law enforcement duty.
In light of this, we hereby request the following things:
The Nigerian Army should withdraw its trucks and personnel from Banex Plaza and allow business to resume unhindered.
The Nigerian Army should immediately release those arrested in relation to the events of May 18th at Banex Plaza, or at best, hand all suspects over to the Police for interrogation and possible prosecution.
The Army should issue a public apology to all whose rights have been unfairly and unlawfully infringed upon by its personnel in relation to the events at Banex Plaza, and ensure that it covers the cost of treatment for the woman who was assaulted and fell into a coma.
We again reiterate our sympathy for the attack the personnel of the Nigerian Army suffered at Banex Plaza but ask that the Army does not further compound this tragedy by punishing a large swath of law-abiding Nigerians for the actions of a misguided few.
