By Aaior K. Comfort

Ayomide Adeleye, a 200-level Philosophy student at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun State, has confessed to the gruesome murder of Christianah Idowu, a 300-level student at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The confession, made to the 174 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, has ended a two-week search for the victim.

Christianah Idowu, who was on industrial training at the University of Lagos, was abducted by kidnappers on her way to her training location. The abductors initially demanded a ransom of N3 million from her family. After several negotiations, the ransom was reduced to N350,000, which was paid to an account provided by the kidnappers. Despite the payment, Christianah was not released.

Security agencies traced Idowu’s phone to Adeleye’s residence in Ikorodu, Lagos State. Adeleye confessed to killing her and burying her body at his home. The Lagos Police Command has taken over the investigation from the 174 Battalion.

The details of the murder have sparked outrage on social media, with the hashtag #JusticeForChristiana trending on X (formerly Twitter) with over 100,000 posts. Many Nigerians have called for justice for the victim and urged authorities to ensure that Adeleye is held accountable.

Intelligence operatives used the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and account details used to collect the ransom to track Adeleye. The military found seven phones and an email address he used to receive a statement of account confirming the ransom payment. The email, [email protected], was created to match the alias Adeleye used in his scam.

On September 1, 2024, the 174 Battalion located Adeleye at his residence and apprehended him. During interrogation, he confessed to burying Idowu in a shallow grave on his property. He also attempted to commit suicide but was restrained by the authorities.