Outrage as robbers kill 22-year-old systems engineer in Lagos

David Ntekim-Rex, a 22-year-old systems engineer, has been killed by robbers in Lagos state.

The attack was said to have happened in Jibowu area of the state on Friday night.

Friends and relatives have taken to Twitter to mourn the deceased and narrate the event that led to his demise.

A Twitter user named Roy Mustang, @Magnanimous_, who identified himself as a relative of the deceased, said Ntekim-Rex was shot around 8:00pm.

He said the police were contacted but that on their arrival, they were concerned about taking pictures and probing why the systems engineer had a laptop on him.

Mustang said at that time, Ntekim-Rex was still alive but delays by the police led to him bleeding to death.

“My ‘auntie’ has three sons. She’s always crazy about them. The middle child, David, is the most promising. He is a tech guy; very young, very brilliant. David was on his way home on Friday night when he was robbed, shot and killed around Jibowu. Please say a prayer for my aunt,” he tweeted.

“David got shot around 8 pm. The police were called, David hadn’t died yet. The Nigerian police took pictures instead and were more concerned with why he, a tech guy, was carrying a laptop. Nigeria failed you, David.

“David was taken to the military hospital around the area. It took a senior nurse to come out and start checking for a pulse. He had lost a lot of blood at this point.

“The police then took David and his family to Sabo (police station), where they looked for the laptop that he had on him instead of giving them a police report. He was finally released to his family, and they got to LUTH around 12.30 am.

“He was there till the family was convinced he couldn’t be alive because he had no pulse. The country failed David. The doctors failed David. The police failed David. The system failed David. Rest in peace David Ntekim-Rex.”

David got shot around 8pm. The police were called, David hadn't died yet. The Nigerian police stood and watched as he gasped for air. They took pictures instead, and were more concerned with why he – a tech guy- was carrying a laptop. Nigeria failed you, David. https://t.co/NV8ulSiF51

— Girl Dad (@Magnanimous__) January 17, 2021

The police then took david and his family to Sabo, where they looked for the laptop that he had on him instead of giving them a police report. The police officers were drunk and kept being unreasonable. He was finally released to his family, and they got to LUTH around 12:30am.

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— Girl Dad (@Magnanimous__) January 17, 2021

The country failed David.
The doctors failed David.
The police failed David.
The system failed David.
Rest in peace David Ntekim-Rex.

— Girl Dad (@Magnanimous__) January 17, 2021

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Other friends and sympathisers expressed grief at the news of Ntekim-Rex’ death. The deceased was said to have bagged several certificates before graduating from the Department of Systems Engineering at the University of Lagos in 2019.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Ntekim-Rex worked as a product designer at Crevatal, a technology firm, before his demise.

Jesus Christ 🙆
May devil not get us at the point of our breakthrough in Jesus name.

— T.A. Oke (@OkeAkinola) January 17, 2021

There was so muchhhh you could do, and I’m sorry we failed you David 🖤 pic.twitter.com/HXhXBUaHIE

— Oluwatifunmilomotimomake🩵 (@deyinkaa_) January 17, 2021

who would have known, that would be the last time we would converse

David Ntekim Rex, may we meet again 🙏 Rest well!

Say me hi to Jesus!

— Web3 Lady (oluchi.eth) (@koderHolic) January 17, 2021

Reacting to the incident, Muyiwa Ogunjobi, Lagos police spokesman, denied the allegation that delay by the police led to Ntekim-Rex’ death.

He said the deceased was already dead before the arrival of the security operatives, and that the police did what they could to save the situation.

“On January 15, 2021, we were informed around 11.20 pm. On getting to the scene, policemen met his lifeless body but relations insisted that he was not dead. So, police took him to Military Hospital, Yaba but the hospital said they could not treat him and then referred him to LUTH,” he said.

“He was accepted at LUTH and he was confirmed dead. The family returned to the police to get extracts at the station for mortuary. So, the allegation of the police abandoning him is not true. The incident is unfortunate and we sympathise with the family but we did what we could.”

The incident has renewed the #EndSARS campaign with the hashtag trending in Nigeria on Twitter as of Monday afternoon.