A Former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has urged Peter Obi to steer clear of interfering in the clash between soldiers and Banex Plaza traders.
In a statement on his verified X page on Sunday, Omokri urged Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, “not to take sides.”
Chronicle NG reports that personnel of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police stormed Banex Plaza in Abuja on Saturday, beating passersby and manning guards.
The assault on civilians was a reprisal for an earlier free-for-all that broke out between four military police personnel and some traders at the popular electronics and telecommunications gadget market on Saturday.
The soldiers’ attacks on civilians and show-of-force by the military police came a few hours after the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennet Igweh, settled the scuffle between the soldiers and the traders at the police command.
Reacting to the incident and urging Obi not to comment on the issue, Omokri mentioned that “when the soldiers were attacked and beaten by the traders, Peter Obi said nothing.”
Urging Obi to be mindful of his position as an elder statesman in the country, the social media influencer urged Obi to “maintain his dignity by not politicizing this matter.”
“I appeal to Peter Obi not to interfere in the matter of the clash soldiers had with traders at Banex Plaza yesterday.
“He is urged not to take sides. When the soldiers were attacked and beaten by the traders, Peter Obi said nothing.
“It is hoped that he will be mindful of his position as a statesman in the Nigerian project and maintain his dignity by not politicizing this matter, as it has now emerged that many of those traders are obedient and supporters of his presidential ambition,” Omokri wrote.
Furthermore, he noted that “the Nigerian Armed Forces, and especially the Nigerian Army, have, over the years, demonstrated that they are the most united and stabilizing force in the country. To a large extent, they are the guarantors of the Nigerian state.
“For anybody to attack them, they attack the core of Nigeria. And there will be consequences to deter future infractions. Qualified people are looking into the matter, and law and order will prevail.
“Therefore, we ought to allow the civil and military authorities to conduct their investigations (thankfully, we have video evidence) and put Nigeria’s corporate interests before any regional or commercial interests.”
Omokri also urged Nigerians to respect soldiers, stating that they spend sleepless nights fighting terrorists.
“Soldiers must be respected in Nigeria. These are people who sleep out in the open to defend us from terrorists, secessionists, militants, and bandits. When you see them, hail them.
“They are Nigeria’s power. If they come to the markets to buy goods and services, appreciate them by giving them discounts.
“The reason you sleep at night is because they are awake in the wee hours of the day,” Omokri added.
