By Ishaya Ibrahim
The Nigeria Police Force on Thursday confirmed the arrest of 23-year-old suspect, Ayomide Adeleye, for the gruesome murder of Idowu Christiana.
The deceased, a 300-level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB), Ogun State, was allegedly abducted along the Ikorodu-Yaba Road, Lagos in August by the suspect, a 200-Level Philosophy student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun State.
Reacting, in a short statement issued on X while sharing the picture of the suspect being handcuffed, the Lagos State Police Spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed his arrest.
The police said the suspect was handed to them by the Nigerian Army on Thursday afternoon, adding that investigation was ongoing on the matter.
The police wrote, “23-year-old Ayomide Adeleye has been handed over to @LagosPoliceNG by 9 Brigade @HQNigerianArmy. The handover took place today, September 5, 2024, at about 1400hrs. Investigation is ongoing.”
Adeleye had allegedly confessed to the killing of Christiana to operatives of the 174 Battalion of the Nigerian Army who tracked the deceased phone and it with him.
According to the confession, Christiana and Adeleye knew each other as they both schooled in Ogun State, attended the same church and lived in the same Ita Oluwo community.
“On that Sunday, the girl who normally goes to UNILAG on weekends to return home on Friday left her house as usual,” FIJ quoted a military source.
“While on her way, it began to rain, so she took cover in Ayomide (Adeleye)’s family’s shop which was just outside his house.
“The boy narrated everything in custody. She only wanted to stay out there for a while and head back to her destination, but he invited her into his house when the rainfall became intense.”
While in his house, Adeleye attempted to take advantage of her but she resisted. He then killed her.
At 8:50 pm on the same day, using Christiana’s phone, he texted her mother via WhatsApp. His text messages read, “Hello Madam, you have such a beautiful daughter. How much are you willing to pay to see her again? We have her in our custody.”
After sending a picture of Christiana to her mother, he made a N3 million demand and gave her a 24-hour deadline test “We off your pikin, sell her part[sic]“.
Adeleye further said in Pidgin English, “We don kidnap your pikin, madam. No be only your pikin de here.“
For the better part of eight days, Adeleye pretended to be a man from northern Nigeria, declined calls and claimed he would accept N400,000 if the money came quickly.
According to the FIJ report, on August 21, Adeleye claimed he was involved in organ harvesting and, if he got demands, he may kill her and sell her parts for N1.5 million.
“I have nothing to lose, madam. If you don’t settle us, the harvesters will, and they [pay] nothing less than N1.5 million for a healthy body. So, you see I have nothing to lose,” he wrote. “If I collect anything less than N1.5 million from you, that is me helping you.”
Before sending this message, he wrote, “My one and only job is to get people, young and healthy people, majorly between the age 18-40, and your daughter is very well in that age bracket.
“Now, you may ask; why are we requesting for ransom? If there is no demand for organs yet, we reach out to the families of the people we have. If they meet our demands, we set them free.” He added, “If they don’t, we keep them healthy those in charge of harvesting are in need, and by the way, they are always in need.”
When the widow told him she could only raise N350,000 through donations from her church, he suggested she inform her friends in school so they could raise money.
He said, “Don’t you think it will be nice if her school friends know what is happening to her because it occurred to me that no one of them knows what is happening and you don’t think they could be of help to you, madam, help you contribute to your cause[sic]?”