A 23-year-old student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ogun State, Ayomide Adeleye, has confessed to the killing of 18-year-old Christiana Idowu, who was a member of his church.
Adeleye, who is now in the custody of the Lagos State Police Command Tactical Unit, said that financial difficulties drove him to commit the crime.
According to Vanguard, Adeleye admitted that he lured Idowu, an industrial training student at Yaba College of Technology, to his residence under the pretence of fixing her phone.
The incident took place when Idowu visited Adeleye’s home around 5 pm on the day of the murder.
After killing her, the suspect allegedly buried his victim in a shallow grave behind his compound in the early morning hours.
It was further gathered that Adeleye proceeded to extort N360,000 from the victim’s mother by falsely claiming her daughter had been kidnapped.
He initially demanded N3 million but later accepted N350,000, which was allegedly deposited into his SportyBet account.
His arrest came after police traced the SportyBet account, which he had linked to his National Identification Number, NIN.
Adeleye expressed regret for his actions, particularly the close relationship between his mother and the victim’s mother.
He also admitted to contemplating suicide while in custody, stating that he sought ways to end his life but was unable to do so.
“I killed her because I had financial problems. She came to our house and asked me to repair her phone. I squeezed her throat until she gave up. The first thing I said to her mother [during a phone call] was “Hello, madam, we have your daughter”. I don’t deserve any mercy for what I’ve done. I regret it deeply and ask God for forgiveness,” he said.