The family of a 40-year-old man, Taofeek Azeez, has demanded an independent investigation into his death inside police custody in Agbeye, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, amid suspicions surrounding the circumstances of his death.
Azeez reportedly died hours after community vigilantes arrested him over an allegation of stealing cocoa seeds and handed him over to the police.
The incident has triggered questions following reports that the deceased was beaten and stripped of his clothing before being taken to the palace of the Alagbeye of Agbeye.
A video circulating online reportedly showed Azeez being subjected to physical punishment and paraded half-naked during the incident.
His family has rejected the circumstances surrounding his death as suspicious and called on the Osun State Commissioner of Police to establish what happened to him while in detention.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Azeez’s brother, Fatai Alimi, said the deceased had left home for the farm on Tuesday morning, only for the family to later learn that he had been arrested over the alleged theft of cocoa seeds.
According to Alimi, Azeez was first taken to the traditional ruler’s palace, where he was allegedly beaten and stripped before being transferred to a police outpost.
The family said it was difficult to understand how Azeez, who had reportedly been stripped of his clothes earlier, could have died by hanging in a police cell.
Alimi called for the police authorities and the Osun State Government to intervene and ensure that the circumstances of the death were thoroughly investigated.
He disclosed that the deceased left behind three wives, six children and an elderly mother, all of whom now face an uncertain future following his death.
However, the Osun State Police Command has maintained that Azeez died by suicide while in custody.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed that members of the community had apprehended Azeez over the alleged theft before taking him to the monarch, who directed them to hand him over to the police.
Ojelabi explained that the suspect was subsequently taken to a police outpost, questioned and detained.
He said an officer later went to check on Azeez and discovered that he had allegedly taken his own life inside the cell.
The police spokesperson added that the officer responsible for the detention facility would be questioned as part of the investigation, while the deceased’s relatives had also been contacted.
Although the police said their preliminary findings pointed to suicide, the family’s demand for answers has placed the handling of Azeez’s arrest, treatment before detention and death in custody under scrutiny.
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