Father of Slain FUNAAB Student Cries Out, Demands Justice One Year After

The father of Christiana Idowu, a 300-level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), who was brutally murdered in 2024, has appealed to Nigerians for help, lamenting the slow pace of justice in the case.

Christiana was abducted in August 2024 while travelling from her home in Itaoluwo, Ikorodu, to the University of Lagos, Yaba, where she was undergoing industrial training. She was later killed by 23-year-old Ayomide Adeleye, a philosophy student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, who lured her to his home under the guise of fixing her phone.

Adeleye confessed to strangling the young lady due to financial problems and extorting N360,000 from her mother while pretending that Christiana was still alive. He was arrested after investigators tracked his National Identification Number through a betting account.

Speaking in a video obtained on Sunday, Christiana’s father, Mr. Idowu Oluwafemi, said the family had been left in the dark almost a year after the arrest of the suspect.

“It’s getting to a year now, and I’ve not heard anything concerning the case. Please, Nigerians, come to my aid. I can’t just allow my daughter to go like that,” he pleaded.

Reacting, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that Adeleye remains in custody at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Lagos, contrary to speculations of his release.

A statement issued in January 2025 by the Nigerian Correctional Service also confirmed that Adeleye was remanded on September 26, 2024, by Magistrate Court 13A, Ogba, and remains in custody pending advice from the Department of Public Prosecution.

The NCoS dismissed reports suggesting otherwise, attributing the confusion to another inmate with a similar name who had earlier been discharged, and cautioned journalists against spreading misinformation.

Meanwhile, the grieving family continues to call for justice, insisting that the case must not be swept under the carpet.