Alwaght- Five policemen and two soldiers were killed Sunday in a shootout between the security forces and militants in Nigeria’s Lagos state, African country's official news agency NAN reported.
The incident came shortly after police rescued some abduction victims from militants’ hideout in Ikorodu, a riverine suburb in the southwestern state, according to the local government.
However, the Lagos government contradicted the death toll, putting it at four policemen and one soldier.
"Lagos State Government commiserates with the families of four police officers and one army captain that lost their lives in Ishawo area of Ikorodu after an ambush unleashed on them by militants,” information commissioner Steve Ayorinde said in a statement Sunday night.
Ayorinde said the officers were killed after successfully rescuing kidnapped victims kept in the riverine area by the militants.
The incident “reinforced its resolve to go after criminal elements and their collaborators who are using coastal areas and illegal waterfront settlements as havens or escape routes to perpetrate evil and criminal activities,” according to the official.
Kidnapping and gang violence have been hallmarks of several Nigerian waterfront communities which often shelter militants who sabotage oil installations for commercial purpose and escape through the waterways.
