afrol News, 13 February - Six people - three police officers and three armed robbers - were killed in a gun battle in Lagos, Nigeria.

The shootout resulted after the police had chased robbers suspected of snatching a car from Ikeja.

However, the police arrested and questioned a robber wounded in the weekend shootout.

Lagos, a home to over nine million people, had seen an upsurge in armed robberies, resulting to the killing of several policemen and bystanders.

In the last quarter of 2007 alone, Nigerian police confirmed to have killed 785 armed robbers. At least 62 police officers lost their lives during fierce encounters.

In a separate development, the abducted wife of the ruling People's Democratic Party, Lulu Briggs, was released unharmed.

Senile Briggs was abducted from her home in Port Harcourt in the troubled southern Niger Delta region on 5 February.

She was released thanks to the intervention of local community leaders. Her abductors had earlier demanded a ransom of three million euro before she was released.

The kidnapping, which was believed to have been carried out by a militant group in the region, caused the death of a security guard at Briggs' home.

Mr Briggs also doubles as the Executive Vice Chairman and a shareholder of Moni Pulo oil company. Her wife also holds an executive position in the company

By staff writer

© afrol News

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