- Adeleye Ayomide, a 200-level Philosophy student at OOU, has allegedly murdered his friend, Christiannah Idowu
- He kidnapped her, demanded ransom from her parents, and finally murdered her
- Nigerians expressed their anger at the tragic event, saying he doesn't deserve a simple death sentence
A 200-level Philosophy student at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Adeleye Ayomide, has allegedly murdered his friend, Christiannah Idowu, a 300-level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
The tragedy has raised serious concerns about trust and safety among young people, especially females.
The horrifying chain of events began when Christiannah was declared missing on August 19 by her family after receiving an alarming message from her abductor using her own WhatsApp account.
The abductor demanded a ransom, plunging the family into a desperate scramble to save their daughter. Despite raising N350,000 and sending it to the abductor through a bet account on August 22, the situation took a chilling turn.
The kidnapper, later identified as Adeleye Ayomide, demanded that the bank statement of the sender be forwarded to his email. Communication between the suspect and the victim's family ceased on August 23, leaving the family in agonising uncertainty.
Meanwhile, on August 22, money had been transferred to Christiannah's GTB account, only to be immediately withdrawn into a Wema Bank account linked to the suspect.
Further investigations by intelligence operatives revealed suspicious financial activities. By August 29, the operatives uncovered that the BVN linked to the masked betting account belonged to the same person who operated the Wema Bank account, Adeleye Ayomide.
The discovery of the mutual relationship between Adeoye and Christiannah made the case even more shocking. Their interactions on social media, especially on Instagram, where they commented on each other’s posts, initially concealed the sinister plot.
Through meticulous tracking of Adeoye's mobile phone activities and text messages, the authorities reportedly located him at his parents' house in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
In a swift operation, personnel from the Nigerian Army's 174 Battalion, in collaboration with intelligence operatives, apprehended the suspect. Upon searching his phone, they discovered damning evidence, including details of the ransom money transfer, ownership of the locked betting account, and incriminating emails between Adeoye and the victim's family.
The case took a gruesome turn on September 3, when Adeoye reportedly confessed to both his father and the soldiers that he had killed Christiannah and buried her in their family compound. Shockingly, this was not his first crime. Similar reports surfaced that in 2018, Adeoye had allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend. Tragically, his biological sister was said to have met the same fate at his hands in 2020.
Netizens react as Adeleye murders Christianah
As seen on X, Nigerians expressed their concerns about the murder of Christiannah, demanding Justice for the victims of Adeleye.
@aproko_doctor wrote: “The members of his family who also covered up the previous murders should face the law.”
@thatpoetclem said: “The perpetrator is currently in 200L, in his 20s, murdered sister in 2020, murdered his girlfriend in 2018, 6 years ago, likely a teenager then, probably 15 years old, a child.
“Today’s rehabilitated “child” might be tomorrow’s serial killer. At least 2 lives would have been saved.”
@GEbokpo wrote: “Get a drum, throw broken bottles, nails.... Sharp edged objects in to the drum, put him inside the drum, close it... Tie the drum to the back of danfo from Ogijo to ketu and back. If e die simple death it's injustice.”
@comediandaniboy commented: “This is scary, wolves in sheep clothing is a real thing. How do people have mind to perpetuate this level of evilllll????”
@Saadabidemi expressed: “Nigeria is really messed up. This guy has killed two people before and got away with it until he killed a third person. What was the Nigerian police doing then?”
@Myka_veli replied: “This story shows that Nigerian police can work if they truly want to work, it also shows how important BVN is because see how they were able to establish a connection between the account in the betting company and the wema account”
@itsShøla said: “People like this deserve everything bad happening to them. They don’t deserve to be around humans like us. I hope his victim gets justice as soon as possible. #JusticeForChristianah”
@Finedeltaboy commented: “A young girl is battling for her life in the hospital after she was raped by a young boy. Another lady has been killed by a man.There are so many cases like this out there…
“When a woman says she is afraid of men, her concerns are valid asf!!! #JusticeForChristianah”
Serial killers are still active in Nigeria, here’s why
Meanwhile, TheRadar previously reported that the era of serial killers was not over in the country, contrary to popular claims.
The history of serial killings in the country could be traced to the gathering of human body parts for ritual purposes, fuelled by the belief that they could offer an individual power, money, protection from business failures, commercial loss, and spiritual attacks, among others.