The hashtag #JusticeForChristianah has gained momentum on social media following the tragic death of Idowu Christianah, a university student abducted and murdered by Adeleye Ayomide, a 200-level undergraduate at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU).
Christianah was reported missing on August 19, 2024, after her abductors contacted her family using her WhatsApp account. They sent disturbing photos of her in captivity via the app’s “view once” feature and demanded a ransom of ₦1.5 million.
Despite being unable to raise the full ransom, Christianah’s parents managed to gather ₦350,000, which was transferred to a betting account as instructed by the kidnappers. After the payment, the abductors requested a copy of the sender’s bank statement. The family complied, but all communication ceased shortly afterward.
Some of the ransom money was later traced to Christianah’s GTBank account before being transferred into a Wema Bank account linked to the primary suspect, Adeleye Ayomide. Investigators began tracking the financial transactions on August 26, and by August 29, they identified Ayomide’s connection to the crime through his BVN, which was linked to the betting account. He had withdrawn ₦100,000 before the account was frozen by the betting company.
Investigators uncovered evidence of a personal relationship between Ayomide and Christianah through their social media interactions. Authorities traced Ayomide’s mobile phone to his family home in Ikorodu, leading to his arrest with the help of military personnel from the 174 Battalion.
Upon searching his phone, law enforcement discovered incriminating evidence, including Christianah’s phone, banking details connecting him to the crime, and email communications with her family. On September 3, 2024, Ayomide confessed to murdering Christianah and burying her at his family’s home.
Reports have since emerged suggesting that Ayomide may have also been involved in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend in 2018 and his biological sister in 2020 under similar circumstances.
