Public Outcry as #JusticeForChristianah Trends Following Murder of FUNAAB Student

The tragic murder of Christianah Idowu, a 300-level student from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has sparked widespread outrage across Nigeria.

With the hashtag #JusticeForChristianah trending on social media platforms, Nigerians are demanding justice for the young woman whose life was cut short in a brutal kidnapping and murder.

Nigerian music artist, Ayra Starr, has used her platform to call attention to the case. “Stop killing us! Stop raping us! Women deserve better,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). Similarly, influential medical professional, Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as ‘Aproko Doctor,’ urged authorities to prosecute not only the prime suspect but also any family members who may have been complicit in covering up the crime.

Warri Sentinel gathered that Christianah was abducted in August along the Ikorodu-Yaba Road in Lagos while en route to the University of Lagos for industrial training.

Despite the efforts of her family to negotiate her release, paying a ransom of N350,000, Christianah was not freed. Instead, she was found dead. “They are communicating with the family through her WhatsApp, demanding N3 million. We appealed to them and it was reduced to N1 million, then N500,000 and later they asked us to pay N350,000,” a family disclosed.

“After we paid the N350,000 ransom, they refused to release her and they were demanding that we send the bank statement of the account we made the payment with”

Meanwhile, Ayomide Adeleye, a 200-level Philosophy student at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), has been named as the prime suspect who was apprehended by the Nigerian military personnel following a week-long search.

Reports suggest that Adeleye has a history of violence, with unverified claims that he had previously killed both his sister and girlfriend. While the police have yet to confirm these accusations. The Nigerian military was said to have used the deceased’s phone to track Adeleye’s whereabouts and arrested him at his residence on Sunday.

As more details emerge, the Lagos State Police have stated that they are still not officially aware of the case, as it has not yet been formally reported to them. Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police spokesperson, explained that the military has been handling the investigation and would soon transfer the suspect to the police for further action.

The case has once again drawn attention to the rise in gender-based violence in Nigeria.