A group of policemen and a gang of armed bandits have in the late hours of Thursday, March 12, 2015 engaged in serious gun battle which reportedly lasted for about 30 minutes on the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge in Lagos state.
An eyewitness, who spoke exclusively to Punch, said the robbers robbed a bank at Lekki phase 1 and attempted to escape through the link bridge to Ikoyi when they encountered policemen.
Some terrified motorists abandoned their cars on the bridge and scampered for safety in the incident which unfolded around 4:45pm.
Narrating the incident, the eyewitness, simply identified as Tayo, said, “Around 4.45pm, I was driving to my office in Ikoyi from Lekki but when I got a spot on the bridge, I heard sporadic gunshots. Fortunately, policemen at the tail end of the bridge inwards Ikoyi, shot back.
“We all came out of our vehicles and laid on the floor to avoid being hit by stray bullets. At some point, some of the policemen were overwhelmed by the fire power of the robbers and had to flee.
“The robbers later jumped into a speed boat and escaped through the water.”
However, it is not certain whether casualties were recorded in the incident.
Serious gridlock from the Lekki Roundabout to Bourdillon has followed the incident as scores of policemen from various formations are still on the bridge.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission has warned that the spate of violence might be on the high side in Lagos, Rivers and Kaduna states ahead of the March 28 general elections.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, advised the police to step up and gather all illegal fire arms before the d-day.
