The police in Ogun says it has arrested three suspects over an alleged attempt to kill a police officer, Akinpelu Sunday, while carrying out his duties at Orile Imo in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state police public relations officer, confirmed the arrest in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Monday.

Mr Oyeyemi said the suspects were arrested on Saturday while attacking the policeman and attempting to burn a police towing vehicle to prevent an investigation into the cause of an accident.

He explained that following the report of an accident, which occurred on Saturday in the Orile-Imo area, the police sergeant attached to the traffic section of Owode-Egba Divisional Headquarters was detailed to rescue the victims and recover the vehicles involved.

Mr Oyeyemi added that on getting to the scene, the suspects attacked the policeman and the towing vehicle driver with a sledgehammer, stick and other dangerous weapons.

The PPRO stated that the suspects prevented them from taking one of the vehicles involved in the accident to the station for further investigation.

He stated further that 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, Olasunkanmi Popoola, led his men to where he met the suspects who had already poured petrol on the towing vehicle and were about to set it ablaze.

“Three among the hoodlums were arrested while others escaped, but the remaining petrol was recovered from them,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered that those who escaped must be hunted down and brought to book.

He further directed that the arrested suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) for further investigation and possible prosecution. 

(NAN)