Nigeria air force battles police

LAGOS – Twenty-seven Nigerian policemen and one air force officer were injured in two days of violent clashes between the two security forces, a police spokesman said yesterday.

Trouble started on Tuesday when some air force officers tried to prevent the police from arresting robbery suspects near the air force base in Ikeja, Lagos, police spokesman Emmanuel Ighodalo said. “The air force men obstructed our men from carrying out their lawful duties and there was a clash.Right now, 26 policemen are hospitalised, one was shot and his whereabouts are unknown,” he said.He said one air force officer was wounded during the violence.”The air force men kidnapped 27 of our men.It took the intervention of the commissioner of police and the state government before they were released.They were brutalised while in custody at the base,” Ighodalo lamented.He said the crisis has been resolved.”We were warned not to retaliate and we have taken the matter as one of those things.The police will pay the medical bills of its injured personnel to allow peace to reign,” he added.The air force was not immediately available yesterday to comment on the incident.- Nampa-AP”The air force men obstructed our men from carrying out their lawful duties and there was a clash.Right now, 26 policemen are hospitalised, one was shot and his whereabouts are unknown,” he said.He said one air force officer was wounded during the violence.”The air force men kidnapped 27 of our men.It took the intervention of the commissioner of police and the state government before they were released.They were brutalised while in custody at the base,” Ighodalo lamented.He said the crisis has been resolved.”We were warned not to retaliate and we have taken the matter as one of those things.The police will pay the medical bills of its injured personnel to allow peace to reign,” he added.The air force was not immediately available yesterday to comment on the incident.- Nampa-AP