The death of Damilola Agbede, a son of the ex-chief registrar of the Ondo State judiciary, Sola Agbede has brought the family to a collision course with the police leadership in the state, as the family fights what it said was another attempt by the police to cover up what is said to be the extra-judicial killing of their child.

There are different accounts to how Mr Agbede, a former Political Science student of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, was killed. The man, who was allegedly killed on September 25, 2010 inside his car by policemen at Ijapo Estate, Akure, was said to be returning from a popular hotel in Ijapo where he had gone clubbing, early Saturday morning.

He was said to have refused to stop for the normal police checking when he was ordered to park his car, around 2 am. This action, according to this version of events narrated by the family, allegedly enraged the police and this made one of them shoot at the car Damilola was driving from the back. The bullet pierced through the glass and the edge of the driver's seat to hitting the mans head. He was said to have died instantly and his remains were deposited at the mortuary at the state specialist hospital, Akure by the policemen.

Another version states that the man was escorted out of the party, led into his car and was shot when he had driven some ways from the party.

But the Ondo State Police command has asked the public not to blame the command for the killing. They alleged that Damilola was shot because he was a robbery suspect. The Spokesperson of the State Police command, Adeniran Aremu confirmed that Damilola had been on wanted list for series of armed robbery cases in Akure metropolis.

"The police did not frame up Damilola, he had been on the wanted list of our command for series of offences," Mr Aremu said. "He is a criminal. On the fateful day, there was a distress call which made the police and some other outfits of the police to rush to Ijapo area of Akure metropolis.

The information received by the police was that he was there to rob the people of the area. Go outside and investigate, and members of the public will tell you the kind of person Damilola was. The family is not being straightforward."

Insisting on justice

Mr Agbede's family has, however, vowed not to allow the case to be swept under the carpet by the police. The family, through its lawyer, Ayotunde Ologe, in a 13- paragraph petition written to the Inspector General of Police alleged that Mr Agbede was murdered unjustly by policemen in Akure.

The petition reads, in part, "actually Damilola left his parent in the evening on Friday, September 24, 2010 for a party at Ijapo in Akure. While the party was going on, Damilola was excused out of the party by one police officer attached to the SARS office under the guise that the presence of Damilola will be needed outside the venue.

"Damilola was escorted into his own car where the impression was created that he would only be allowed to drive his own car, to the SARS office along Oda road, Akure. It became the greatest surprise that despite the fact that Damilola was escorted into his car, it was in the same car that his lifeless body was found after an hour on that night."

The dead man's father, Olusola Agbede said his son was not an armed robber as claimed by the police. The former state judicial officer, said: "My son is not a robber.

The police are just trying to cover up their inadequacies. The police should stop lying and tell the truth, about how my son was killed. They should not be allowed to go scot free."

In order to get the root of the matter, the Ondo State Government has charged the state security services (SSS) to conduct in-depth investigations into the death.

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