Three arrested for attacking policemen at crash scene

Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested three suspects for allegedly attempting to kill a policeman and setting ablaze a towing vehicle at an accident scene.

Our correspondent gathered that a police sergeant, Akinpelu Sunday, escaped death, while the towing vehicle driver sustained injuries.

The PUNCH learnt that the incident happened on Saturday, December 31, 2022, when the suspects – Olayiwola Basiru, Bamimore Isiaka and Soliu – attempted to kill the policeman and burn the police towing vehicle at Orile Imo in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, explained that a police sergeant attached to the Traffic Section of the Owode Egba Divisional headquarters was detailed to rescue some accident victims and recover the vehicle involved to the station.

Oyeyemi added, “But on getting to the scene, the suspects attacked the policeman and the towing vehicle driver with a sledgehammer, stick and other weapons to prevent them from taking one of the vehicles involved to the station for further investigation

“The policeman and the towing vehicle driver managed to escape from the scene and ran to the station with varying degrees of injury.

“The Divisional Police Officer, Owode Egba Division, CSP Olasunkanmi Popoola, when hinted, led his men to the place where he met the suspects who had already poured petrol on the towing vehicle and about setting it ablaze after removing the cash sum of N520, 000 belonging to the towing vehicle driver.

“Three among the hoodlums were arrested, while others escaped. But the remaining petrol was recovered from them.”

The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had ordered that those who escaped must be hunted and brought to book.

Meanwhile, some yet-to-be-identified assailants on Monday killed four persons within a compound at Nodu Town Square, Nodu Okpuno, near Awka, Anambra State.

It was gathered that the gunmen had pursued someone into the compound where the other victims were already sitting down and opened fire on them.

The state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, could not confirm the incident as he said he was not aware of the development.

“I don’t have any such report before me, I urge the witnesses of the incident or relatives of the victims to come forward with information that will help police to embark on an investigation please,” he added.