Ayomide Adeleye, a 300-level Philosophy student at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun State, has been arrested by the Nigerian Army for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Christiannah Idowu, a student from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
The case has sparked outrage on social media, with many Nigerians calling for justice and a swift legal response.
Christiannah Idowu was reported missing on August 19, 2024, after her abductors used her own WhatsApp account to contact her parents.
The kidnappers sent photos of Christiannah in captivity and demanded a ransom of N1,500,000. Her parents managed to raise N350,000, which was deposited into a betting account as instructed by the kidnappers.
On August 22, the kidnappers asked for the bank statement of the sender to be sent to an email address. After receiving the money, communication with Christiannah’s family abruptly ceased.
Investigations revealed that the money had been transferred into Christiannah’s GTBank account and later withdrawn into a Wema Bank account linked to the suspect, Ayomide Adeleye.
Police sources confirmed that the Bank Verification Number (BVN) linked to the betting account belonged to Ayomide, who also operated the Wema Bank account used in the transactions.
Investigators tracked Ayomide’s activities through his phone and social media accounts, which showed his connections with Christiannah, including interactions on Instagram.
These findings led operatives to his parents’ home in Ikorodu, Lagos, where Nigerian Army personnel from the 174th Battalion arrested him.
Further examination of Ayomide’s phone revealed detailed information about the money transfers and communications with Christiannah’s family.
After being taken into custody, Ayomide reportedly confessed to both his father and military personnel that he had killed Christiannah and buried her body at his residence.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ayomide has a history of violence, with similar incidents involving his ex-girlfriend in 2018 and his biological sister in 2020.
Reacting to the arrest, Festus Ogun, a human rights activist lawyer and an alumnus of OOU, expressed his dismay, stating: “I’m so embarrassed that this boy is a student of OOU. On behalf of the management and alumni of OOU, we disassociate ourselves from him. He doesn’t represent our values. #JusticeForChristianah”
Lagos State Police Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the Nigerian Army handed over Ayomide to the police on September 5, 2024, and that the investigation is ongoing.
