Police detectives in Ondo State have arrested five suspects linked to the brutal murder of two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA).
The victims, 25-year-old Abah John Friday and his 19-year-old friend, Okah Andrel Eloho, were reportedly abducted, robbed, raped, and killed in cold blood after being declared missing on June 20, 2025—a disappearance that sparked outrage among students and residents of Akungba-Akoko.
Parading the suspects before journalists in Akure, the state capital, the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, revealed that among those arrested was the landlord of one of the victims.
“Following a petition dated June 24, 2025, from G.O. Omoedu & Co., on behalf of Mr. Emmanuel Peter of Shagari Village, Akure, regarding the disappearance of his younger brother and his friend, the Command immediately launched an intensive investigation,” Lawal said.
Detectives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit reportedly tracked an iPhone 14 Pro Max belonging to one of the victims to Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos.
The phone was recovered from one Abdul Mohammed Mubarak, 38, who confessed to purchasing the phone from one Ojo Michael. Michael was subsequently arrested in Aramoko-Ekiti.
A Lexus RX 350 vehicle belonging to the victims was also recovered.
Under interrogation, Ojo Michael confessed to participating in the abduction, robbery, and murder of the students.
He named Oladele Femi—the landlord of one of the victims—as the mastermind of the operation, which involved another accomplice, identified simply as “Kola,” who remains at large.
Investigations further revealed that ₦800,000 was transferred from the victims’ account during their captivity.
Michael also admitted to sexually assaulting the female victim before both victims were killed to prevent them from identifying their attackers.
According to the police, their bodies were dumped at separate locations between Agbado and Ode-Ekiti.
While the remains of the female victim have been recovered, efforts are ongoing to locate the male victim, whose body is believed to have been thrown into a river by the fleeing accomplice.
Commissioner Lawal confirmed that Oladele Femi confessed to initiating the plot and assisting in covering up the crime.
Meanwhile, the police say efforts are in top gear to apprehend the remaining suspect and recover the remains of the second victim.
