A commercial truck driver, Peter Francis, is fighting to save his leg after being shot by a police officer at a checkpoint along the Ketu-Epe-Ikorodu Road in Lagos.

The incident occurred on June 12, 2026, when officers from the Ketu-Ereyun Divisional Police Station stopped his vehicle. According to his lawyer, Olatunji Ajayi, Francis complied with instructions but was shot after explaining he couldn’t pay a ₦500 bribe.

Military personnel from the Lagos State Food and Logistics Hub reportedly pursued the fleeing officers and directed them to take the injured driver to the hospital. Francis was allegedly turned away by two hospitals before being admitted to the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Yaba, where he underwent emergency surgery. The shooting has left him unable to move his affected leg, with doctors recommending reconstructive surgery.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the shooting but stated that the official narrative differs from the victim’s account. The Divisional Police Officer, CSP Kalu Chijioke, countered the lawyer’s claims, describing Francis as a criminal suspect who attempted to run over officers. He insisted that Corporal Ibrahim, who fired the shot, acted in self-defence.

The DPO denied that his men fled the scene, stating they immediately arranged to transport Francis to the hospital. He claimed that a group of the victim’s colleagues later stormed the station, threatening to burn it down.

Kalu also detailed his efforts to help, including donating blood and transferring ₦400,000 for Francis’s treatment.

Francis’s lawyer stressed that his client is a law-abiding citizen returning from work and had documents to prove his delivery assignment. He disclosed that the total medical cost is estimated at more than ₦11.1 million, including ₦10 million for corrective surgery. While acknowledging the DPO’s financial gesture, the lawyer insisted it does not absolve the police of responsibility and called on authorities to take full accountability.