No fewer than 100 suspected hoodlums, on Monday morning, attacked a police station in the Ipaja area of Lagos State.
Eyewitness account has it that the incident might not be unconnected with the police raid on motorcycle riders in the area.
The incident led to an exchange of gunshots but policemen repelled the hoodlums, with passersby scampering for safety in the process.
Police spokesman in the State, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the attackers were Okada riders, who went against the enforcement carried out by operatives of the command.
Hundeyin added that officers and men of the Ipaja division put up strict resistance against the attack. He, however, did not confirm if any life was lost during the incident.
The police spokesman said normalcy has since returned to the area as several police detachment have been drafted to the area.
Below is the full text of police statement:
POLICE REPEL ATTACK ON STATION, ARREST ATTACKERS
* Impound over two hundred motorcycles
Officers of Ipaja Police Division have successfully repelled an early morning attack on their division by motorcycle operators.
The attack came after police officers commenced the day’s enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in Lagos State. The attackers, who came in their hundreds, stormed the station with dangerous weapons, shooting at the officers and attempting to overrun the station.
While officers and men of the division held their ground, reinforcement came from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). Two of the attackers were fatally injured during the attack.
However, this did not deter the officers from accomplishing their mandate as over two hundred motorcycles were impounded and some of the attackers arrested, with one locally made firearm retrieved.
The Lagos State Police Command will not be cowed into abdicating its responsibilities of enforcement of all duly passed laws and maintenance of law and order within the society.
SP BENJAMIN HUNDEYIN, anipr, mipra
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
LAGOS STATE COMMAND
IKEJA
MAY 27, 2024.