Police arrest four officers ‘who killed’ arrested suspects

The Lagos police command says it has arrested four of its men who killed two suspected armed robbers.

Bala Elkana, the state police spokesman, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Elkana identified the operatives as Fabiyi Omomayara, an inspector; Olaniyi Solomon, a police sergeant; Solomon Sunday, also a sergeant and Aliyu Mukaila, a corporal.

According to the statement, the operatives were dispatched after the police got a distress call from one Anugu Valentine that he was attacked by a group of armed men at Ipaye area, Iba,  and dispossessed of one iPhone Max on Monday.

Elkana said the policemen arrested two of the four suspects and killed two of them instead of taking them to the station for due investigation and probe. He said the other two escaped.

He explained that an investigation into the incident is on-going and that the policemen would be prosecuted in court if found guilty.

“The Divisional Police Officer, Iba promptly deployed the Divisional Patrol team to the scene. Two of the armed robbers were arrested while two escaped,” the statement read.

“The team, however, went extreme by killing the suspects who were already in their custody, instead of taking them to the Police Station and allowing the normal process of investigation and prosecution to be initiated as stipulated under procedural laws.

“The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.

“The police officers are currently subjected to internal disciplinary proceedings known as Orderly Room trial and if found culpable, they will be dismissed from the Force and will be handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba for prosecution in the conventional Court.”