Christiana Idowu, a student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has been tragically murdered after being abducted while traveling between Ikorodu and Yaba in Lagos State for her industrial training at the University of Lagos.
Despite her family paying a ₦350,000 ransom, Christiana was not released by her captors and was later confirmed dead.
The president of the FUNAAB Student Union Government, Ibrahim Adeyemi, confirmed the heartbreaking news on Thursday. “The Union can confirm that she was reportedly killed by her abductor. We will be addressing the matter soon,” Adeyemi stated.
An unofficial online report revealed the primary suspect in the murder to be Adeleye Ayomide, a 200-level student of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), sparking outrage on social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter).
The kidnappers reportedly used Christiana’s WhatsApp account to contact her family, sending images of her in captivity via the ‘view once’ feature. Initially demanding ₦1.5 million, they later agreed to ₦350,000, which was transferred to a betting account as per their instructions. After receiving the ransom, the kidnappers requested a bank statement from the family, which was provided on August 23, but communication ceased shortly afterward.
Investigations traced part of the ransom funds to Christiana’s GTBank account and later to a Wema Bank account linked to Ayomide. By August 29, authorities identified Ayomide’s BVN as being connected to the betting account used in the transaction. He had already withdrawn ₦100,000 before the account was frozen.
Further evidence, including incriminating messages and financial links, was found on Ayomide’s phone when military personnel from the 174 Battalion raided his family’s Ikorodu home. On Tuesday, Ayomide reportedly confessed to killing Christiana and burying her body at his family home.
Investigations are ongoing, and the public awaits an official response from the Lagos State Police regarding this deeply disturbing crime.
