For daring to refuse tipping a police officer attached to the Federal Highway Patrol the paltry sum of N50, a commercial bus driver, Umaru Bayi, is battling for his life at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, after he was allegedly shot in the pelvic by the angry officer and left for dead.
The driver who was coming to Lagos from Jos, the Plateau State capital, according to passengers in the ill-fated vehicle, was accosted by the police patrol team with the number plate on their van NPF 6843, on duty along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway at around 1pm on Monday, November 11 and in the process of cross-checking the particulars of the vehicle, a brief argument ensued when it came to dropping the said bribe.
A witness reported the incident thus:
After stopping the bus, the unidentified policeman reportedly demanded a N50 bribe from the driver, but the driver said he only had N1,000 notes.
The driver had also asked his passengers to assist him with a N50 note to pay the bribe demanded, but none of the passengers had it.
Following the vain search, the driver had offered his N1,000 note to the policeman and asked for 'change'.
But the policeman reacted with anger, asking 'should I be looking for change for you?'
The insolence of the driver was seen as an affront on the 'gallant' officer who then ordered the driver down from the bus. The driver was still arguing when the apparently drunk driver suddenly cocked his gun and allegedly shot the driver in the pelvic area.
When the other officer saw that their colleague had shot the driver, they summoned on him to enter their van and they escaped from the scene, leaving concerned citizens to rush the badly injured driver to the hospital.
According to reports from the hospital where Umaru is currently on admission, he is said to be in a critical condition.
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