A commercial driver, Peter Francis, is receiving treatment after he was shot in the leg by a police officer at a checkpoint along the Ketu-Epe-Ikorodu Road in Lagos, with conflicting accounts emerging over the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The shooting occurred on June 12, 2026, when officers attached to the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station stopped Francis while he was returning home from work.
According to his lawyer, Olatunji Ajayi, Francis complied with police instructions after officers requested that he switch on the interior light of his vehicle. The lawyer alleged that one of the officers demanded ₦500 from the driver and opened fire after Francis explained that he had already spent his remaining cash on food.
Ajayi said the bullet struck Francis in the leg, leaving him with severe injuries. He also alleged that the officers left the scene after the shooting and that military personnel later intervened, pursued the officers to their station, and ensured the victim was taken for medical treatment.
The lawyer further stated that Francis was rejected by two hospitals before he was eventually admitted to the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba, where emergency surgery was carried out.
The Lagos State Police Command confirmed that the shooting occurred but said investigations were ongoing. Police spokesperson Abimbola Adebisi disclosed that the officers involved had been detained for questioning.
However, the Divisional Police Officer of Ketu-Ereyun Division, CSP Kalu Chijioke, presented a different version of events. He claimed that Francis attempted to escape after being stopped during a stop-and-search operation and allegedly knocked down one officer while driving toward another officer.
According to the DPO, Corporal Tijani Ibrahim fired at the vehicle to prevent being hit, and the bullet struck Francis near the knee. He also alleged that substances suspected to be illicit drugs were recovered and described the matter as involving attempted murder and assault on police officers.
The DPO denied claims that officers abandoned the victim, insisting that police personnel immediately worked to secure medical care for him. He said officers moved Francis between hospitals before he was eventually admitted to the military hospital.
Chijioke disclosed that he personally donated blood and provided financial support to aid the victim's treatment. He said records showed a ₦400,000 transfer to Francis and additional funds used to facilitate transportation and medical arrangements.
The police chief added that efforts to obtain formal statements from Francis and a female passenger who was reportedly in the vehicle had not been successful.
Despite the assistance provided, Francis' lawyer maintained that his client was not a criminal suspect and was simply returning from work with documents to support his delivery assignment.
According to the lawyer, doctors have recommended reconstructive plastic surgery because of damage caused by the gunshot wound. He said the victim currently faces medical expenses exceeding ₦11.1 million, including more than ₦1.1 million already incurred at the military hospital and an estimated ₦10 million needed for corrective surgery.
Ajayi acknowledged that the DPO visited Francis in the hospital, donated blood, and transferred ₦400,000 to him, but argued that those actions do not remove the responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force for the shooting.
He called on the police authorities to cover all medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial impact of the incident.
Meanwhile, police authorities say investigations are continuing, while the officers involved remain in detention pending the outcome of the inquiry.
.jpeg)
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!