Robbers kill two policemen in Lagos

Yomi Ajiboye

Armed robbers killed two policemen during a robbery operation, in Lagos, on Sunday night.

The two policemen, who were attached to Alapere Divisional headquarters, were on guard duty at the Alapere market, when the incident occurred.

It was gathered that the two, whose identities could not be verified, were posted to the market by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the division, following complaints of repeated robbery attacks by traders at the market.

It was further learnt that a gang of robbers had raided the market, on Friday night, during which one of them was caught and severely injured by a trap set in one of the shops they broke into.

After several unsuccessful attempts to free the trapped robber, his colleagues decided to shoot him, to prevent his being arrested by the police and subsequently forced into revealing their identities and hideout.

Market leaders reported the incident at the police station the following morning, after the shop owner raised the alarm, on discovering the corpse inside his shop.

The traders also expressed fear of a reprisal attack on the market by the gang to avenge their colleague’s death to the police boss.

This concern by the traders, it was gathered, informed the DPO’s decision to post the two killed policemen to guard the market.

Majority of the traders at the market told our correspondent, on Wednesday, they believed the policemen were killed by the same gang that attacked the market, on Friday.

They feared the gang could carry out another attack on the market and, therefore, called for enhanced police patrol of the area.

Efforts to speak with the DPO, on Wednesday, were abortive, as he directed our correspondent to the office of the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba.

Mba, on his part, said the information he had about the incident was still sketchy, because he was yet to be fully briefed on it.