Robbers shoot dead seven policemen

LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Seven policemen, including a senior officer, have been shot dead by suspected armed robbers in Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos, a local newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Lagos state police chief Young Arebamen could not confirm how many people had been killed in the attacks. But he told Reuters they were being treated as a security issue because they could damage officers' morale.

The independent Vanguard newspaper said the suspected criminals who were heavily armed, killed an Assistant Superintendant of Police in Oshodi, a Lagos surburb on Sunday.

Six other officers were shot in Mofoluku on the outskirts of Lagos by the gang which was out to avenge the recent police killing of its leaders, the newspaper said.

Scores of officers have been killed in exchanges of gunfire with criminals in the past three years in Lagos, a city of over 12 million people.

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