A young man simply identified as Aminu on Saturday plunged into the FESTAC canal along 6th Avenue.
An eyewitness, who would not be named, said Aminu, who sells Indian hemp in an hotel in the area, was running away from the police when he landed inside the water.
Aminu, who is said to be from Auchi in Edo State, seems to be well-known among the young men and women in the area.
Another eyewitness, who claimed to be with the victim when the incident happened, said that policemen and officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) came heavily armed.
The man said while the victim was trying to wade himself out of the water, he was shot at by an officer at the back.
Residents were said to have searched for him after the men of the law enforcement agencies left, but their search yielded no result.
His body floated ashore late Sunday afternoon all swollen and sore.