The Ondo State Police Command has apprehended a landlord and two accomplices in connection with the kidnapping and murder of two Adekunle Ajasin University students in Akungba-Akoko.
Police Commissioner Adebowale Lawal announced the arrests on Wednesday in Akure during a press briefing regarding the command’s recent achievements. The victims have been identified as 25-year-old Abah John Friday and his 19-year-old friend, Okah Andrel Eloho.
Mr. Lawal revealed that the landlord, Oladele Femi, admitted to orchestrating the crime and assisting in concealing the murders.
The investigation was prompted by a petition submitted on June 24, 2025, by the law firm G.O. Omoedu & Co. on behalf of Emmanuel Peter, a resident of Shagari Village, Akure. The petition addressed the abduction of Mr. Peter’s younger brother, Friday, and his friend, Eloho, who had been reported missing since June 20, 2025.
“Following the complaint, our anti-kidnapping detectives swiftly initiated a thorough investigation. Forensic tracking led them to Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos, where an iPhone 14 Pro Max belonging to one of the victims was recovered from Abdul Mohammed Mubarak, 38,” stated Mr. Lawal.
He continued, “Mubarak confessed to purchasing the phone from Ojo Michael, who was later arrested in Aramoko-Ekiti, along with the recovery of a Lexus RX 350 belonging to the victims at the time of arrest.”
During interrogation, Michael confessed to his involvement in the robbery, abduction, and subsequent murder of the victims. He revealed that the entire operation was directed by Oladele Femi, the landlord of the male victim. Femi allegedly hired Michael and another accomplice, known as Kola, who remains at large, to execute the crime.
Investigators uncovered that N800,000 was transferred from Mr. Friday’s account while he was held captive. The police commissioner disclosed that Michael admitted to raping Eloho and later killed both her and Friday to prevent any exposure of his actions.
The bodies of the victims were disposed of at separate locations between Agbado and Ode-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Further inquiries led to the arrest of Femi, who confessed to his role in planning and concealing the murders. Following this confession, detectives recovered Eloho’s body buried in a bush near Ode-Ekiti, which has been sent to the General Hospital Mortuary for an autopsy.
“Efforts are ongoing to locate the remains of the male victim, believed to have been discarded in a river by an accomplice still at large. This case serves as a tragic reminder of the brutal nature of premeditated crimes and the devastating impact of betrayal and greed. The victims, promising young students, were brutally raped and murdered,” concluded the police chief.
(NAN)