By Mario Deepromoter

The Magistrate Court in Ogba, Lagos State, has ordered the remand of confessed killer Ayomide Adeleye in the Lagos Correctional Facility, Kirikiri, Alausa.

Seyi Omodara, presiding over Adeleye’s hearing on Thursday, made the decision after the state arraigned him for kidnapping and killing 21-year-old Christianah Idowu.

The police filed a two-count charge against Adeleye, accusing him of violating the Kidnapping Prohibition Law (2017) and the Criminal Law of Lagos (2015).

These charges read: “That you Ayomide Adeleye on the 19th day of August 2024, at about 5:10 pm, at No. 15, Ajumuti Street, Ita Oluwo, Ikorodu Street, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully lure Christianah Idowu into a shop in front of your father’s house, held her hostage and collected a ransom of N360,000 from the family [with the] pretence of releasing her and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 2 of the Kidnapping Prohibition Law (2017) of Lagos State, Nigeria.

“That you, Ayomide Adeleye on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Christianah Idowu and buried her in a shallow grave within your father’s compound and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 222 and punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015).”

Charge sheet seen by FIJ
Rita Ozobia, Idowu’s foster mother, appeared in court for the hearing in the company of her friends. She told the magistrate about her interaction with Adeleye, his ransom demand, and how she learnt he killed her daughter.

Omodara ordered that the police save Adeleye’s audio confession in CD format and duplicate his case file as they await the advice of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

On condition of anonymity, a staff of the court who did not have authorisation to speak to the press told FIJ the matter will be transferred to a State High Court upon receipt of a positive advice from the DPP.

INVESTIGATION ONGOING
Meanwhile, the police said other than Idowu’s body they found bones when they visited Adeleye’s compound. They said they sent the bones for forensic examination, but found them to be animal bones.

Investigation, they say, is still ongoing to determine if he had help carrying out the crime, and if he was involved in other murders.

“He denied killing his sister,” a source in the police told FIJ.

“On social media, he claimed earlier that if he had done things differently, she may still be alive, but what he told investigators about it was that on the day she died, she wanted him to accompany him to an unknown location.

“He said he refused and went out for hours. When he returned home, he met her in a position that looked like she was asleep, but when he asked his younger ones, they said she stepped out for about 10 minutes, returned home and went unconscious. He said that was how she died.”

Adeleye has since confessed to killing Idowu, but he claims he did not premeditate killing her