The Lagos State Police Command has revealed that two people were injured and several others apprehended following an attack by okada riders on its Ipaja Division on Monday.
Chronicle NG reported earlier that panic broke out in the Ipaja area of Lagos State after more than 100 hoodlums assaulted the Ipaja Police Station.
SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokeswoman, said in a statement that the attack was motivated by the implementation of the state’s existing ban on commercial motorcycles popularly called okada.
He further stated that no fewer than 200 motorcycles (okada) were confiscated, and one locally made handgun was recovered from the attackers.
He wrote, “Officers of the 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.”
Furthermore, Hundeyin disclosed that officers at the division defended themselves until reinforcements from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad arrived.
He added, “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 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 society.”
