An OOU student has confessed to the murder of an 18-year-old female church member, revealing shocking details behind the crime. Read more about the tragic incident and the ongoing investigation.
A 23-year-old philosophy student from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ayomide Adeleye, has disclosed the harrowing circumstances surrounding the murder of an 18-year-old female church member, Christiana Idowu.
As reported by Vanguard on Sunday, Adeleye, who is currently in custody at the Lagos State Police Command Tactical Unit in Ikeja, confessed to the crime, attributing it to his financial struggles. “I killed her because I had financial problems,” he explained, detailing how he deceived the victim into coming to his residence under the guise of offering phone repair services.
The tragic event unfolded when Idowu, a student engaged in Industrial Training at Yaba College of Technology, arrived at Adeleye’s home around 5 PM on the day of the incident, requesting assistance with her phone. Adeleye recounted the horrifying moment of the murder, stating, “I just grabbed her, applied pressure. She started struggling. She didn’t really shout because I already suppressed her. I then squeezed her throat, and she gave up.”
After committing the murder, Adeleye devised a gruesome plan to conceal the body and extort money from Idowu’s mother. He described the act of digging a shallow grave behind his house and burying the victim’s body in the early hours of the morning. “By 4 AM the following day, I woke up, I continued digging. Honestly, I did not close my eyes till daybreak,” he recounted.
In a particularly cruel turn of events, Adeleye reached out to Idowu’s mother, demanding a ransom. “The first thing I said to her was, ‘Hello, madam. we have your daughter,'” he stated. Through manipulation and intimidation, he successfully extorted N360,000 from the distraught mother.
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Reflecting on the negotiations after initially demanding three million naira, Adeleye remarked, “I know for a fact that she didn’t have three million. Even if she did not have that amount, I was ready to collect any amount because I desperately needed money no matter the amount.” After several discussions, the mother managed to gather N350,000, which he instructed her to deposit into a betting account.
He mentioned that he subsequently requested an additional N10,000, which the mother indicated was all she had remaining.
Adeleye was apprehended after authorities traced his SportyBet account, where he had submitted his National Identification Number.
“If I had not uploaded my NIN, my account would have remained inactive,” he clarified, disclosing that his efforts to conceal his identity ultimately resulted in his capture.
“Once I uploaded my NIN, all my personal information, including my location, address, and name, became accessible on the SportyBet platform. Additionally, I had the girl’s phone with me, which could have been used to trace my location; that is how they located me,” he further explained.
Expressing regret for his actions, Adeleye remarked, “I lament the fact that I took her life, especially since my mother and her mother were friends.”
He continued, “I do not deserve any leniency for my actions. Nevertheless, I seek forgiveness from God. What I did was entirely wrong, and I deeply regret it.
“I feel a profound sense of remorse for my actions. If there is any possibility of being granted a second chance, I would welcome it, but I truly believe I deserve death. I have contemplated taking my own life. While in the holding cell, I sought out any sharp object to inflict harm upon myself in order to bleed to death.”
