Landlord Among Three Arrested in Connection with Murder of Two Ondo State Students

AKURE, NIGERIA – Police in Ondo State have arrested a landlord and two other individuals in connection with the kidnapping and murder of two students from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko. The victims were identified as 25-year-old male, Abah Friday, and his 19-year-old female friend, Okah Eloho.

Mr. Adebowale Lawal, the State Commissioner of Police, confirmed the arrests on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Akure, during a press briefing on recent achievements by the command. The Commissioner stated that the landlord, Oladele Femi, confessed to orchestrating the plot and assisting in concealing the murders.

The investigation was launched following a petition received on June 24, 2025, reporting the disappearance of Mr. Friday and Ms. Eloho, who went missing on June 20. Forensic tracking led detectives to Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos, where Mr. Friday’s iPhone 14 Pro Max was recovered from Abdul Mohammed Mubarak. Mubarak reportedly confessed to buying the phone from Ojo Michael, who was subsequently arrested in Aramoko-Ekiti, where a Lexus RX 350 belonging to the victims was also recovered.

During interrogation, Michael allegedly confessed to participating in the robbery, abduction, and murder of the victims. He further implicated Oladele Femi, the male victim’s landlord, as the mastermind of the crime, claiming Femi engaged him and another accomplice, “Kola” (currently at large), to carry out the act. Investigations revealed that ₦800,000 (approximately $530 USD) was transferred from Mr. Friday’s account while they were held captive.

Police Commissioner Lawal stated that Michael admitted to raping the female victim after she recognised him, leading him to execute both her and Mr. Friday to prevent them from exposing him. Michael and his accomplice reportedly disposed of the victims’ bodies at separate locations between Agbado and Ode-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Acting on Femi’s confession, detectives recovered the female victim’s body in a bush near Ode-Ekiti, which has been deposited for autopsy. Efforts are ongoing to recover the remains of the male victim, believed to have been dumped in a river, and to apprehend the remaining accomplice.