Police, naval men engage one another in shoot out over motorbike *Navy deflates APC tyres with bullets*seven APC storm scene

There was pandemonium at the Creek road area of Apapa Lagos State on Friday, when angry naval officers, engaged some mobile policemen in a shoot out.

Eye-witnesses claimed that the shoot out between two factions lasted for close to one hour, with the end seeing the naval shooting at the tyres of police Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), stationed around the area.

Though nobody had been confirmed killed in the shootout, but commercial activities were said to have been grounded, with passersby and motorists scampering for safety.

As at Saturday morning, over seven APC were still on ground in strategic spots at Apapa and several patrol vans condoned off many areas.

These precautionary moves were said to have been taken and ordered by the state’s commissioner of Police, Prince Umar Manko.

It was gathered that the trouble started on Friday at about 4pm, when a commercial bike rider was stopped around Trebor junction, close to creek road, by Environmental Task Force Team.

The motorbike told the mobile policemen that he was not the owner of the motorbike, that they allow him to go, but the policemen refused.

The motorbike rider left in a huff, only to return later a naval officer. The naval officer, said to be attached to NNS Cura, laid claim to the motorbike, insisting that the policemen should release it to him, but they refused.

He was later said to have approached the leader of the team, one SP Ajani on the same subject, but Ajani had refused, explaining that the order was from the Governor Raji Fashola.

The naval officer allegedly becomes unruly and rude to Ajani, which compelled one of the policemen with Ajani to challenge him.

Before could say Jack Robison, the policemen and naval officer have engaged each other in a brawl.

When the two were disengaged, the naval officer left, while Ajani cautioned his police officer and left with others to patrol another axis in Apapa.

Before Ajani came back to join the men he left behind, the naval officer had gone to Naval Western Command, and returned with more naval officers.

The policemen were said to have taken to their heels, at the number of the naval men who had already opened fire on them, shooting like they were in a Hollywood Wild West movie. As the naval chase after the fleeing policemen, soldiers who were passing by, saw and joined them.

The policemen were chased down to area B, command, where other men came to assist them.

Thus began a mini war of raging gun fire between police and naval men. Some of the naval men attacked an APC, deflating the tyres with bullets.

Not taking any chance, Manko who was said to have heard about the gun war, ordered that more APC be drafted to the scene, to forestall breakdown of law and order.

The day was saved after the area B commander, Mr. Aliru Mohammed, alerted senior naval men.

The senior officers of both forces teamed up to disperse the men and restored peace, but the motorbike remained impounded. And another car, which brought some of the naval officers, was also impounded.

Attempts made to get the police public relations officer, Ngozi Braide and the area B commander Mohammed Aliru to react on the matter proved abortive as both of them did not pick their calls.