File photo of police officers
The Lagos state police command says it has arrested 18 suspects for allegedly vandalising property during a protest at the Tejuosho market shopping complex in Yaba.
On Thursday, traders at the market staged a demonstration over a prolonged power outage that has reportedly affected businesses within the facility.
The protest, however, escalated after hoodlums allegedly joined in and targeted a commercial bank within the complex.
In a statement on Friday, Babaseyi Oluseyi, deputy spokesperson of the Lagos police command, said the suspects mobilised under the guise of protesting to attack the bank and police personnel on guard duty.
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“The hoodlums and miscreants damaged some sections of the bank premises and attacked police personnel on guard duty at the bank within the market,” the statement reads.
“The PMF personnel repelled the attacks and firmly protected the bank from invasion by the hoodlums and miscreants and exercised a high level of restraint in their actions.”
Oluseyi said the command received a distress call around 2:30 pm on September 18 that hoodlums had started attacking people and damaging goods and property in the market.
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He added that mobile policemen stationed at the bank responded quickly, repelled the attacks, and prevented the suspects from gaining entry into the financial institution.
During the protest, police operatives also fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd and restore calm to the area.
The police said investigations are ongoing and the arrested suspects would be prosecuted accordingly.
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