Hundreds of commercial motorcycle riders popularly known as Okada on Monday invaded the Ipaja Police Station in Lagos State allegedly with weapons to forcefully retrieve their seized bikes.
The invasion led to a gun battle between them and the policemen on the ground.
The incident caused panic among residents, leading to the reinforcement of police personnel.
A spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, saying the situation had been brought under control.
“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,” Hundeyin said in a statement.
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