The Lagos State Police Command has received Ayomide Adeleye, a 23-year-old suspected of the murder of Christiana Idowu, a 300-level student at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Adeleye was handed over to the police by the 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the transfer on Thursday via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle. “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,” he stated.
Idowu, who had been missing since August 19th after being kidnapped between Ikorodu and Yaba in Lagos State, was reportedly murdered by her abductor. She had been completing an internship at the University of Lagos when she was abducted while en route to her workplace in the Itaoluwo area of Ikorodu. Her death has sent shockwaves through the community, where she was residing before the incident.
A source familiar with the investigation provided more details about the case. “On the 19th of August 2024, Christiana Idowu was declared missing after her parents were contacted by her abductors using her own WhatsApp contact. The first contact with the parents was made around 8:49 p.m., during which they sent photos of the victim in captivity using the WhatsApp ‘view once’ feature.”
Initially, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N1,500,000, but Christiana’s parents could only raise N350,000, which was promptly transferred as instructed. The ransom payment was complicated by the kidnappers’ request that the funds be sent to a betting account. “After receiving the money, on the 22nd of August, the abductor requested that the bank statement of the sender be forwarded to his email,” the source added. Despite the family’s compliance, communication from the kidnappers stopped abruptly.
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Further investigation revealed suspicious transactions involving Christiana’s account. “On the 22nd of August, some amount was sent to the GTB account of Christiana and was subsequently withdrawn into a Wema Bank account belonging to the main suspect,” the source explained. Intelligence operatives soon linked the suspect to these financial activities, as the BVN tied to the betting account also matched the Wema account and other social media activity.
“Further investigation revealed that he was able to withdraw the sum of N100,000 from the betting account before agents got the betting company to lock the account,” the source stated. It was also discovered that the suspect had a personal relationship with Christiana, based on their interactions on social media.
Law enforcement tracked the suspect’s phone activity, leading them to his family’s residence in Ikorodu. “Operatives got confirmation of his presence in the building through active tracking of his mobile device,” the source noted. The Nigerian Army’s 174 Battalion arrested him and discovered the victim’s phone and further evidence connecting him to the crime.
The suspect allegedly confessed to the murder. “On August 3, the suspect reportedly confessed to the father and the soldiers that he killed the girl and buried her in their house,” the source revealed.
In addition to Christiana’s case, investigators are now probing other possible crimes linked to the suspect. “There is also a new story awaiting further confirmation that in 2018, the suspect’s ex-girlfriend was killed in the same manner. In 2020, the suspect’s biological sister met the same fate, and now the same thing has happened to Christiana in 2024,” the source disclosed.
Authorities continue their investigation as the community mourns the loss of Christiana Idowu, with widespread calls for swift justice.
