Truck driver injured after police shooting at Lagos checkpoint

A commercial truck driver is fighting to save his leg after a police officer shot him at a checkpoint on Ketu-Epe-Ikorodu Road in Lagos.

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

His lawyer, Olatunji Ajayi, told PUNCH Online on Saturday that Francis followed the officers' order to turn on his vehicle’s interior light.

Ajayi said an officer named Ibrahim asked for a ₦500 bribe. Francis explained that he had spent his last cash on food, which was on the back seat.

“Without any provocation, a police officer named Ibrahim, who was part of the team, shot at the vehicle with Mr. Peter Francis and his friend inside. One of the bullets hit Mr. Peter Francis in the leg, causing severe injuries and leaving him in great pain,” the lawyer said.

He added that the “officers ran away as soon as they realized Francis had been shot,” leaving him without help.

The gunshot attracted military personnel from the Lagos State Food and Logistics Hub. They chased the fleeing officers to their nearby police station, brought them back to the scene, and told them to take the victim to the hospital.

Francis was reportedly turned away by two hospitals before he was finally admitted to the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba, where he had emergency surgery.

On Saturday, our correspondent reached out to the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, for a phone interview.

The PPRO confirmed the shooting but said the official police story is very different from what the victim and his lawyer are saying.

“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.”

The Divisional Police Officer of the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station, CSP Kalu Chijioke, responded to the lawyer’s claims. He said the victim is a suspect in a crime.

“On June 12 at about 21:10, our officers were on a stop and search duty because of a government school nearby. We are on the Lagos-Ogun border.

“This driver came in with a Camry with a female passenger. According to the senior officer leading the team, ASP Oguniyi, the vehicle was stopped and he complied.

“When he was approached, he drove off, knocking down Oguniyi, brushing another officer and trying to ram Corporal Tijani Ibrahim with his car before the officer shot,” the DPO stated.

According to the DPO, Corporal Ibrahim fired at the speeding car, and the bullet hit 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 suspected illegal drugs,” the DPO hinted.

CSP Kalu denied that his men ran away, saying they quickly arranged to get the injured driver to the hospital. He said a group of the victim’s colleagues, known as “motor boys,” came to the station, threatening to burn it down.

“That was when the soldiers asked if our officers needed help, which was politely declined. The situation was contained, and medical attention was provided to the victim,” Kalu said.

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

He explained the events that followed, which lasted until Friday, as police worked 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, so I contacted the military hospital where he was eventually operated on. In fact, when we couldn’t get an ambulance, we used our patrol vehicle.

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

“All efforts to get personal statements from the lady and the victim after treatment have failed so far.

“We’ve also talked to the lawyer who came here and asked him to have his client fill out a statement form now that the incident is 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 if he had any criminal record, the DPO responded: “That is not true. I facilitated his admission to that hospital, donated blood, and much more.

“I have details of a ₦400,000 transfer made to the victim for his treatment. I also have records of the ₦100,000 I gave an officer to coordinate his movement from one hospital to another to save his life. We will continue to monitor his treatment. Our focus is for him to get better.”

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

Francis’ lawyer said his client is a law-abiding citizen returning home from work and has documents to prove his delivery assignment.

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

He added that the shooting has left Francis unable to move his leg. Doctors say he needs reconstructive plastic surgery to fix damaged blood vessels.

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

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

The lawyer also revealed that the Divisional Police Officer of the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station, CSP Kalu Chijioke, visited Francis in the 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 ₦400,000 into his personal bank account. This shows an acknowledgment of responsibility for the incident,” he said.

But he insisted that this gesture does not remove the Nigeria Police Force's responsibility.

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

“In this situation, we call on the Nigeria Police Force to take full responsibility for the treatment, rehabilitation, and all medical expenses of Mr. Peter Francis due to the reckless and unlawful shooting by one of its officers.

“Justice must be served, and proper compensation must be given to Mr. Peter Francis for the physical, emotional, and financial trauma he has endured,” the lawyer concluded.