Notorious criminals attack police, snatch deadly kidnapper

The Lagos Police Command says it has arrested three hoodlums in the Agbowa area of the state for allegedly snatching a suspected kidnapper from police operatives.

The fleeing suspected kidnapper had led a team of policemen attached to the anti-kidnapping squad of the command to the community in December to conduct a search on his apartment when some youths, suspected to be his boys, attacked the policemen openly.

The youth, according to Punch, removed a pair of handcuffs on the suspect’s hands, freed him and subsequently set ablaze a police patrol van that brought the suspect and the team to the area.

Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said three policemen were seriously injured in the attack.

He, however, said the command would not want to disclose the identities of the suspects in order not to thwart efforts at arresting other fleeing hoodlums.

Owoseni said, “Some criminal elements under the guise of community youths attacked the police team, cut the handcuffs used to chain the suspect and librated him. Three of the operatives were injured while the police vehicle used by the team was burnt. A policeman is still in a hospital.

“Three of those who perpetrated the act have been arrested, but we don’t want to reveal their identities now in order not to jeopardize our investigation.”