Three men suspected to be highway robbers were on Friday knocked down by a trailer while the driver was trying to escape arrest from the police along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The suspected robbers attempted to flee when they noticed the presence of security operatives around Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry, MFM, at about 10.22pm on the said day.

Luck ran out on them when the fleeing truck driver knocked them down, leaving two of the suspected robbers, Sola Bilaminu and Ibrahim Sandi, severely injured.

This, however, led to their arrest by police officers on patrol.

Confirming the incident, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, said the suspected robbers operated with motorcycles to attack road users at the MFM area.

He said, “The police operatives attached to Ibafo Division of the command arrested two suspected armed robbers while on patrol along the notorious long bridge towards Isheri end of Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The three suspected armed robbers were robbing some road users in front of the MFM.

“The robbers escaped when they sighted police operatives. They were chased by the police and knocked down by a moving trailer. They were seriously wounded before they were eventually arrested alive,” Adejobi added, noting that the police team also recovered stolen items from the robbers.

“The police were able to recover the stolen items from them including the operational motorcycle they used for the robbery operation.

“The victims of their operation have identified them (suspected armed robbers) and their stolen items. The recovered items have been immediately returned to the owners who have given useful statements to the police,” Adejobi added.

The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, Abdulmajid Ali, following the arrest, directed that the suspects be transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, in Magbon, Abeokuta for thorough investigation.

Ali commended the patrol team and assured residents of adequate security of lives and property, just as he ordered that the expressway must be adequately policed on a regularly basis to protect road users who have fears of plying the expressway at night.