The police in Lagos on Thursday said the Nigerian Army arrested a male suspect in the killing of a female student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Christiana Idowu.
Last month, Ms Idowu left her home in the Itaoluwo area of Ikorodu heading to the University of Lagos in Yaba where she was observing her industrial training before she was taken captive.
A source in the family told PUNCH on August 26 that Idowu’s kidnappers asked for N3 million as ransom.
Following appeals by the family, the figure was reduced to N350,000.
The sum was paid to the suspect’s account via transfer however Idowu was not released.
Spokesman of Lagos Police Command Benjamin Hundeyin told BBC Pidgin that soldiers arrested the suspect and will soon hand him over for prosecution.
Reports say intelligence operatives tracked the abductor’s parents’ house in Ikorodu through the BVN and account details used in collecting the ransom.
The suspect had a mutual relationship with Idowu as they attended the same church and were following each other on social media.
During the arrest, soldiers reportedly found the victim’s phone and details of the transaction related to the kidnap.
It was gathered that the suspect told the girl’s father and security operatives that he buried her in a shallow grave inside his compound.
A woman named Olubunmi on X, who claimed to be Idowu’s cousin, wrote on Thursday that the victim lost her mother nine years ago when she was 12 years old.
“Each time I remember when and how her mum passed 9years ago when she was 12, I feel so sad. She survived this and now got murdered by a friend. God pls, I really hope this isn’t true,” Olubunmi wrote.
The incident has led to calls for justice for Idowu through #justiceforchristianah on social media.
