The incident occurred on Saturday, December 31, when the suspects; Olayiwola Basiru, Bamimore Isiaka and Soliu allegedly attempted to kill the policeman and burn the police towing vehicle.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the police sergeant attached to the Traffic Section of the Owode Egba Divisional Headquarters, Akinpelu Sunday, was detailed to rescue the victims and recover the vehicles involved to the station.
He said the hoodlums wanted to set ablaze the vehicle so as to prevent investigation into the cause of the accident.
Oyeyemi said, “…but on getting to the scene, the suspects attacked the policeman and the towing vehicle driver with sledgehammer, stick and other dangerous weapons in order 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 injuries.
“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 was about setting it ablaze after removing the cash sum of N520,000 belonging to the 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, has ordered that those who escaped must be hunted and brought to book.
He added that the commissioner had directed that the arrested suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and possible prosecution.
