Army hands over suspected killer of abducted FUNAAB student to police

Ayomide Adeleye and Christiana Idowu

The Lagos State Police Command on Thursday confirmed that the Nigerian Army has handed over one Adeleye Ayomide, 23, who is accused of killing a 300-level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Idowu Christiana.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this in a message he shared on his X 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 wrote.

Our correspondent had earlier reported that the spokesperson, 81 Division Nigerian Army, Lt-Col. Olabisi Ayeni, confirmed Ayomide’s arrest via a telephone interview on Thursday.

“Yes. I am aware about the issue. We arrested him and the 9 Brigade Nigerian Army will be handing him over to the Lagos State Police Command today, so you can liaise with them for further information,” Ayeni had sais

Christiana was abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Ikorodu-Yaba Road, Lagos State, on Monday, August 19, 2024.

A family source who spoke with PUNCH Metro on condition of anonymity earlier disclosed that the abductors initially demanded a ransom of N3 million before they could release the student.

However, after several pleas, the abductors accepted N350,000 which was sent to their account but they refused to free the kidnapped student.

Also, on Thursday, the Student Union Government president of FUNAAB, Ibrahim Adeyemi, confirmed Christiana’s death to one of our correspondents in a telephone conversation, saying, “The union can confirm that she was reportedly killed by her abductor. We will be addressing the matter soon.”

Christiana’s death has continued to attract reactions from concerned Nigerians, especially users of the social media platform, X (formerly Twitter).

The hashtag #JusticeForChristiana is one of the top trends on Nigeria’s X domain, with over 90,000 posts, seeking justice for the deceased.