Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed that two persons were fatally injured while others were arrested during an attack by commercial motorcycle (okada) riders on Ipaja Division, on Monday.
There was palpable apprehension in the area earlier on Monday after over 100 hoodlums stormed the Ipaja Division.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement said that the attack stemmed from the enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in the state.
He also revealed that over 200 motorcycles were impounded and one locally made firearm retrieved from the attackers.
“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,” he said.
Hundeyin further disclosed that officers at the division defended themselves until reinforcements from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) arrived.
“While officers and men of the division held their ground, reinforcement came from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad. 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,” he added.
The PPRO stressed that the 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.”
