been shot by a policeman in the Ikorodu area of
Lagos State.
The incident, which happened on Sunday at Agric
bus stop, was said to have caused commotion as
residents ran helter-skelter, while the policeman
along with two of his colleagues fled the scene.
However, the cop was identified as Zakari,
attached to the Owutu Police Division, Ikorodu.
Punch Metro learnt that the victim had an
arrangement with his friend, Opeyemi Efunwole,
to meet at a filing station in the Agric area.
The two men had planned to move from the filing
station to a popular musical event, Headies
Award, in Efunwole’s private car.
Punch Metro learnt that Oluwafemi was in a
commercial cab heading towards the place when
a police team in a commercial bus stopped the
driver.
Oluwafemi, who sat beside the driver, said, “I
was told the police usually collect N2, 000 from
every cab driver at the junction. So when he
stopped our cab, the driver tried to reverse and
he shot at the car. The bullet pierced through the
cab and hit my leg. I felt terrible pains.”
The cab driver was said to have driven him to
the filing station where Efunwole was waiting for
him.
Efunwole, who was also the manager of the
victim, said he took him to a private hospital
where he was given first aid.
“But we had to go to the police station for a
police report to get further treatment at a general
hospital.
“However, on getting to the station, the Divisional
Police Officer denied that any of his men went
out or shot at anybody. But later, on
compassionate ground, he gave us a medical form
for my friend to get further treatment.
“While the treatment was on at the hospital, I
went back to the station with Oluwafemi’s
relatives and the cab driver to give our
statements about what happened. They said they
were not sure it was a policeman attached to the
station that fired the shot.”
Efunwole told Punch Metro that the DPO,
Abayomi Oni, ordered the three policemen on
duty at the time of the incident to file out with
their rifles.
He said immediately they came out, the cab
driver identified Zakari and said he was the one
who fired the shot.
“But the DPO still called a sergeant to count their
bullets. The sergeant counted 20 bullets in the
rifles of the first two policemen, and when it
came to Zakari’s turn, the bullets were 19. But
the DPO defended him and said it was 19 bullets
they gave him.
“How can that be? How can they give him 19
bullets when they gave others 20?
“When the cab driver still insisted that Zakari
fired the shot, the police threatened to lock him
up in the cell and ordered him to shut up,” he
added.
The victim told our correspondent he had been
asked to go for an X-ray, adding that the result
showed where the bullet was lodged in his leg.
Punch Metro learnt on Monday that the bullet
had yet to be removed.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations
Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu,
said, “Initially, when they got to the station, the
victim said the policeman, who shot at him, was
putting on mufti. Meanwhile, policemen on the
road don’t wear mufti.
“He was asked to identify the man who shot at
him. A patrol vehicle drove in and he said it was
one of the policemen there that shot at him. They
were all in uniforms.
“The police pointed out he was contradicting
himself. Despite that, he was issued with a form
to go for treatment for safety sake, while the
matter was being investigated to ascertain who
allegedly shot at him.
“The case is still undergoing investigation and we
will get to the roots of the matter.”
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