Vandals overrun police station in Lagos, kill 2 policemen

Suspected petroleum pipeline vandals on Tuesday overran a police station at Owutu area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, killing two policemen in the process. Eyewitnesses told Daily Trust that about 50 armed vandals on many commercial motorcycles also known as Okada, stormed the police station and opened fire at policemen who were on duty. The vandals, […]

Suspected petroleum pipeline vandals on Tuesday overran a police station at Owutu area of Ikorodu, Lagos State, killing two policemen in the process.

Eyewitnesses told Daily Trust that about 50 armed vandals on many commercial motorcycles also known as Okada, stormed the police station and opened fire at policemen who were on duty.

The vandals, after taken over the station, headed straight to the armoury where they allegedly stole arms and ammunition. They were also said to have set free their members and other suspects in police custody.

Our correspondent gathered that trouble between the vandals and the policemen started sometime in October last year when the Police assisted a Joint Task Force comprising of the Army, the navy, some paramilitary agents and officials of the Nigrian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to raid the hoodlums in their haven at Oke-Oko Ishawo area of Ikorodu.

During the raid, some of the pipeline vandals and oil bunkerers were allegedly arrested and were detained in the cells at Owutu Police station, an action which did not go down well with the hoodlums.

It was gathered that late on Monday night, about 50 suspected bunkerers stormed the police station shooting saprodically and in the ensuing commotion that lasted the wee hours of yesterday, two policemen were killled, with many injured.

A police source at the station told our correspondent that two of his colleagues were shot dead while about five others were injured in the fracas.

“We did not expect what we saw as we fled the station but later reinforced and we faced them fire for fire.I know we injured some of them, though they escaped with their injuries,” he added.

A resident of Owutu who simply identified himself as Ibro said; “I thought it was war. From Monday night to yesterday morning, we did not sleep as there were sporadic shooting between the police and oil bunkerers. It was like a war zone and I have since relocated my family to Ojota because the hoodlums were boasting that they would come back.”

Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the attack, adding that the Police recorded two casualities during the incident. He, however, denied that the hoodlums overan the

station.

“I take exception to the word overrun. The hoodlums attacked our station and our men repelled them. We shot many of them but they escaped with bullet wounds,” the police spokesman said.