The family of a 40-year-old man, Taofeek Azeez, has demanded a thorough investigation into his death in 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 local vigilantes arrested him over an allegation of stealing cocoa seeds and handed him over to the police.

He was reportedly arrested on Wednesday and taken to the palace of the Alagbeye of Agbeye before being transferred to a police outpost.

A video circulating online showed the deceased being subjected to corporal punishment and paraded half-naked while being taken to the palace.

Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, Azeez’s brother, Fatai Alimi, accused the police of possible complicity and called on the Osun State Commissioner of Police to investigate the incident.

“On Tuesday morning, he left the house for the farm, and it was later that day we learnt that he had been taken to the police station for allegedly stealing cocoa seeds,” Alimi said.

He alleged that Azeez had been taken to the palace before his transfer to the police, where he was subjected to corporal punishment and stripped naked.

“It was surprising to hear that he had killed himself inside the cell; his death looks suspicious,” he said.

Alimi also questioned the circumstances surrounding the reported suicide, citing what he described as inconsistencies in accounts of the clothing Azeez wore before and after his death.

“Someone whose clothes had been torn was said to have been wearing clothes when his neck was found dangling, so we urge the police and the state government to intervene,” he added.

He said Azeez was survived by six children, three wives and an aged mother.

Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the deceased had died by suicide while in police custody.

“The deceased was apprehended by the community for allegedly stealing cocoa seeds,” Ojelabi told journalists in Osogbo.

He explained that the community members took Azeez to the monarch, who directed them to hand him over to the police.

“After arresting him, they took him to the monarch of the town, and the king instructed that they should hand him over to the police. He was taken to the police outpost, where he was questioned and subsequently detained,” the police spokesperson said.

Ojelabi added that the incident was discovered hours later when an officer went to check on the detainee.

“A few hours later, when the officer went to check on him in the cell, he had committed suicide,” he stated.

The police spokesperson said the officer in charge of the cell would be interrogated and confirmed that the deceased’s family had been contacted.

“We are taking necessary steps to interrogate the officer in question, but our investigation so far shows that it is a case of suicide,” Ojelabi added.

The family’s demand for an investigation comes amid questions over the events leading to Azeez’s death, including his alleged treatment before being handed over to the police and the circumstances of his detention.