A commercial truck driver is battling to save his leg after he was shot by a police officer at a checkpoint along the Ketu-Epe-Ikorodu Road in Lagos.

The victim, Peter Francis, was returning home from work on June 12, 2026, when officers attached to the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station stopped his vehicle.

According to his lawyer, Olatunji Ajayi, who spoke with PUNCH Online on Saturday, Francis complied after officers instructed him to switch on his vehicle’s interior light.

He noted that an officer identified as Ibrahim allegedly demanded a ₦500 bribe, but Francis explained that he had spent his remaining cash on food, which was on the back seat of the Toyota Corolla.

“Without any provocation, a police officer identified as Ibrahim, who was part of the team, opened fire on the vehicle occupied by Mr. Peter Francis and his friend. One of the bullets struck Mr. Peter Francis in the leg, causing severe injuries and leaving him in excruciating pain,” the lawyer said.

He further alleged that the “officers fled the scene immediately after realising Francis had been hit,” leaving the injured driver without assistance.

The gunshot reportedly attracted military personnel attached to the Lagos State Food and Logistics Hub, who “pursued the fleeing officers to their nearby police station, brought them back to the scene and directed them to take the victim to the hospital.”

According to him, Francis was allegedly turned away by two hospitals before he was eventually admitted to the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba, where he underwent emergency surgery.

PPRO Reacts

Meanwhile, our correspondent on Saturday, contacted the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, on the telephone interview.

The PPRO confirmed the shooting but stated that the official police narrative differs significantly from the version being presented by the victim and his lawyer.

“The officers involved have been detained for further questioning,” she said.

When asked about a meeting between the victim’s lawyer and Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani, as well as a petition filed on the matter, she said, “I cannot confirm that now but will do on Monday.”

DPO Reacts

When contacted by phone, the Divisional Police Officer of the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station, CSP Kalu Chijioke, countered the lawyer’s account, claiming instead that the victim is a criminal suspect.

“On June 12 at about 21.10hrs, our officers were on a stop and search duty opened because of a government school close by. We are on the Lagos-Ogun border.

“This driver came in with a Camry (Muscle) with a female passenger in the driver seat. And according to the account of the senior officer who led the team, ASP Oguniyi said the vehicle was stopped and he complied.

“When he was approached, he sped off knocking down Oguniyi, brushing another and was rushing towards Corporal Tijani Ibrahim to ram him down, using the vehicle as a weapon, before the latter shot,” the DPO stated.

According to the DPO, Corporal Ibrahim fired at the speeding car, with the bullet ultimately striking Francis in the lower part of his knee.

“This is a case of attempted murder and assault of a police officer in his line of duty and unlawful possession of substances suspected to be illicit drugs,” the DPO in his account hinted.

Denying claims that his men fled the scene, CSP Kalu maintained that the officers immediately began arranging to transport the wounded driver to the hospital. According to him, a group of the victim’s colleagues (“motor boys”) soon stormed the station threatening to burn it down.

“That was when the soldiers accosted them to ask if our officers needed help—which was politely rejected—noting that the situation was immediately contained and that medical attention was provided to the victim,” Kalu said.

The DPO also confirmed that Francis was subsequently taken to two different hospitals, both of which refused to admit him, before he was finally accepted at the military hospital based on his intervention.

He then detailed the events that followed, lasting until Friday, as police struggled to secure the victim’s official statement and account of the incident.

“The records are there. He was referred from the first hospital to another, which refused to admit him. The victim’s life was the priority, and that was when I contacted the military hospital where he was eventually operated on. In fact, when we were unable to get an ambulance, we used our patrol vehicle.

“It was the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, that admitted him, and he underwent surgery there. After the necessary tests, I donated blood and even made payment so his treatment could continue.

“All efforts to obtain personal statements from the lady and the victim after treatment have been futile as we speak.

“We’ve also spoken to the lawyer who came here and told him to give his client a statement form to fill out now that the incident is still fresh in his memory and he has received medical attention, but he refused.

“Our concern is that he gets better. Only then can we take the case to trial,” he said.

When our correspondent asked whether the officers were acting on specific intelligence that led them to identify the victim as a suspect, or whether he had any criminal record or had previously been invited by the police for questioning, and pointed out the claim that the police asked him to report to the station from his hospital bed to write a statement, the DPO responded: “That is not true. I facilitated his eventual admission to that hospital, donated blood, and much more.

“I have details of a N400,000 transfer made to the victim for his treatment. I also have records of the N100,000 I gave an officer to coordinate his movement from one hospital to another in an effort to save his life. From our own side, we will continue to monitor his treatment. Our focus is for him to get better.”

He concluded, “So far, we have complied with international best practices by prioritising the victim’s life. That is our focus for now. More details about the incident cannot be revealed as further investigation is ongoing.”

Victim Faces ₦11.1m Medical Bill

Francis’ lawyer stressed that his client was a law-abiding citizen returning from work and had documents proving his delivery assignment.

“Mr. Peter Francis is not a criminal suspect,” he said.

He disclosed that the shooting has left Francis unable to move the affected leg, with doctors recommending reconstructive plastic surgery to repair damaged blood vessels.

According to the lawyer, the financial burden includes: “₦1,126,600 in outstanding medical bills already incurred at the military hospital and ₦10 million estimated for corrective plastic surgery.”

The lawyer stated, “The total medical cost is estimated at more than ₦11.1 million.”

DPO Donated Blood, Gave ₦400,000

The lawyer also revealed that the Divisional Police Officer of the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station, CSP Kalu Chijioke, visited Francis in hospital, donated blood, and transferred ₦400,000 to the victim’s bank account on June 15, 2026.

“The Divisional Police Officer… donated blood to Mr. Peter Francis and personally transferred the sum of ₦400,000 into his personal bank account. This conduct further suggests an acknowledgment of responsibility for the incident,” he stated.

However, he insisted that the gesture does not absolve the Nigeria Police Force of responsibility.

He called on the police authorities to cover all medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and compensation for the victim.

“In the circumstances, we respectfully call on the Nigeria Police Force to take full responsibility for the treatment, rehabilitation and all medical expenses incurred by Mr. Peter Francis as a result of the reckless and unlawful shooting of an unarmed and innocent civilian by one of its officers.

“Justice must be done, and adequate compensation must be provided to Mr. Peter Francis for the physical, emotional and financial trauma he has suffered,” the lawyer also concluded. (PUNCH)

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