The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for an inquest into the death of David Ntekim-Rex.

He was shot last Friday by gunmen, suspected to be robbers, at the Jibowu area in Lagos.

The deceased was a graphics designer, a UI/UX designer, a systems engineer and a pencil artist.

Ntekim-Rex emerged as the co-regional winner of the 2018 Master the Mainframe competition, organised by AngelHack and IBM Z Academic Initiative.

He beat 17,000 contenders from around the world, including finalists from Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Nepal, and the United States.

The Police insisted that the University of Lagos (UNILAG) graduate was dead before they reached him but his relations maintained he was alive.

Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said officers took Nketim-Rex to the Military Hospital, Yaba, where he was referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

“He was accepted at LUTH and confirmed dead. The family returned to the police to get extracts at the station for a mortuary. So, the allegation of the police abandoning him is not true”, Adejobi’s statement read.

In a statement on Monday, PDP noted that the alleged refusal by police operatives to save him was irresponsible.

Kola Ologbondiyan, the spokesman, said it was horrendous that while the victim gasped for breath, the police who ought to have provided help allegedly took pictures and showed more interest in his laptop.

“Our party holds that this action of the said police operatives makes them culpable for failing in their statutory duties of saving lives, which also amounts to a very grievous offence under our laws and before humanity.

“In the same vein, the PDP expresses worry over the alleged refusal by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and the Military Hospital to attend to the victim, leading to his eventual death,” he said.

The party said the actions were a clear violation of the “Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017”.

PDP urged the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to immediately probe the actions of his men, the hospitals and arrest the killers.