Policeman killed, three others battle to live after robbers’ ambush

A police sergeant was killed on Tuesday night and three others are now battling to stay alive after suspected armed robbers attacked and opened fire in an ambush at the Iba Ojo area of Lagos State.

The four policemen were part of a team that was responding to a distress call when the bandits attacked them. The deceased and other three are attached to Ojo Police Station.

It was gathered that the attack occurred around 8pm on that fateful Tuesday.

The four men were rushed to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH), by another team sent by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to follow the first team.

The sergeant was said to have died the following day, Wednesday, while others are still in a critical situation.

A police source said: “There was a distress call around Iba area that robbers were operating. The DPO in charge of Ojo Police Station drafted the team to the scene. We heard that a few minutes later, the DPO sent another team to follow the first team. He wanted to ensure that the robbers were over powered. When the first team got to the area, they saw a man inside a car. They went over to ask if he had seen anything suspicious around. They didn’t know he was part of the robbers. The next thing they knew was that unseen gunmen opened fire on them. According to them, the gunshots seemed to be coming from all angles.”

The men later told their colleagues that they couldn’t detect the number of people that attacked them.

The gunshots alerted the second team and it hastened to the scene. The sight of the second team of policemen was said to have compelled the robbers to bolt, but others stayed to exchange gun fire with the second team. Some of the gunmen joined the man who was in the vehicle that the policemen had earlier approached. They disappeared into the darkness.

While four policemen laid on the writhing and screaming in pains, the robbers made good their escape.

A source said: “None of the robbers sustained gunshot injuries.”

Confirming the attack, the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, said that only three men were wounded in the attack, stressing that nobody died.

He said: “Our men were responding to a distress at the Iba Ojo area when they ran into an ambush. Three of them were injured in a gun duel with the robbers. We’re still investigating the matter.”