Police intervene after an Ajebo violent raid leaves many injured and homes destroyed during a two-day assault in Lagos State
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer SP Abimbola Adebisi said on Tuesday that officers had prevented further harm during an Ajebo violent raid in which heavily armed hoodlums attacked residents of Ajebo community near Agbowa in the Ikosi Ejirin Local Council Development Area.
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The assault began on Monday and continued into Tuesday afternoon before teams from the Area N Command and Agbowa Divisional Police Station managed to enter the community.
Many residents had already abandoned their damaged homes after large groups of attackers reportedly took control of the area.
Baale-elect of Ajebo, Chief Ogunlaru Jamiu, described the incident as the greatest horror he had witnessed.
He said the hoodlums ignored the presence of police officers and even attempted to confront the operatives sent to rescue trapped residents.
Chief Jamiu said he first received calls from neighbours reporting that about two hundred armed men had stormed the town.
He explained that the attackers invaded houses, harassing residents with cutlasses, axes and guns.
He added that his own home was looted, including electronics, electrical items and building materials kept by a lawyer constructing a nearby property.
The community leader also recounted how his brother, Ayodele Momodu, suffered serious injuries after being caught in the midst of the violence before officers from Agbowa Division rescued him.
He said the second day of the attack was even more alarming, with the hoodlums arriving in larger numbers on commercial motorcycles and vehicles, brandishing weapons and threatening to kill anyone who resisted.
According to him, officers attempting to evacuate residents faced roadblocks mounted by the attackers and were forced to divert to Ketu Police Station near Itokin before continuing to Agbowa.
A police source at Area N Command in Ijede, Ikorodu, confirmed the assault and said the swift response of the Area Commander ensured the safe evacuation of those rescued.
SP Adebisi said the Police Command had invited all concerned parties in order to secure a lasting resolution to the crisis.
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She added that Lagos State Commissioner of Police CP Olohundare Jimoh had deployed Tactical Teams to restore peace and maintain order in the troubled community.
