Gunmen launch failed bid to steal bullets, guns, gunboat from Lagos police station
In recent time, armed robbers have robbed Lagos banks while an apparently below-par police force could only respond with press statements vowing to “apprehend the culprits.”
The robbers may have now grown a bit bolder, their action on Sunday morning suggests.
According to reports, about 20 gunmen stormed the Marine Police Post of the Lagos State Police Command in the Epe area around 12:30 a.m.
The police said the gunmen obviously wanted to steal weapons and also disable the police from responding to an imminent robbery attack in the area.
The suspected armed robbers reportedly came in a speedboat and attempted stealing police bullets, guns, and a gunboat.
Their attempted weapon robbery, however, failed as it was repelled by armed police officers.
“Their mission was to kill the policemen and dismantle the security structures around the place so that they could embark on a bank robbery maybe on Monday,” local media quoted an unnamed police source.
“The gunfire lasted for several minutes, and the whole area was riddled with bullets. Eventually, they succeeded in sinking the gunboat.
“No policeman was killed but some might have been injured by the bullets,” the source said.
“The Commissioner of Police visited the place and ordered that the beach be electrified,” Lagos police spokesman Joe Offor later told the media.
“The area commander, the DPO and other officers have made efforts to recover the gunboat. We are still working on it and we have fortified the area.
“Banks have been asked to go on with their usual activities, and there is no cause for alarm.
“No arrests have been made so far. Efforts are on to replace the gunboat.”
Armed robbers have been attacking Lagos banks in recent time.
