Ondo Police: Landlord Masterminded Kidnap and Murder of Two AAUA Students

The Ondo State Police Command has revealed chilling details behind the abduction and murder of two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) — 25-year-old Abah John Friday and 19-year-old Okah Andrel Eloho — disclosing that their landlord was the mastermind of the crime.

In a statement issued in Akure on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, the Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, said the landlord, identified as Oladele Femi, has confessed to orchestrating the kidnapping and aiding the concealment of the killings.

The two undergraduates were declared missing on June 20. Three weeks later, Okah’s body was found in a bush near a border community between Ondo and Ekiti States. Efforts are still ongoing to recover the remains of Abah John Friday, who is believed to have been dumped in a river by an accomplice still at large.

CP Lawal explained that the police launched a full investigation following a petition submitted on June 24 by a legal firm representing Emmanuel Peter, the elder brother of Abah. Detectives from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit traced the victims’ phone through forensic tracking to Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos, where an iPhone 14 Pro Max was recovered from 38-year-old Abdul Mohammed Mubarak. Mubarak confessed to purchasing the phone from one Ojo Michael, who was later arrested in Aramoko-Ekiti.

A Lexus RX 350 belonging to the victims was also recovered during the arrest.

During interrogation, Michael admitted to participating in the robbery, abduction, and murder. He identified Oladele Femi, the landlord of the male victim, as the mastermind. According to his confession, Femi contracted him and another suspect known as “Kola” (currently at large) for the operation.

Michael also confessed to raping the female victim, Okah Andrel Eloho. When she recognized him and revealed his identity to her friend, both were executed to prevent them from exposing the criminals. Investigators believe their bodies were dumped at separate locations between Agbado and Ode-Ekiti.

The police further disclosed that N800,000 was withdrawn from Abah’s account while he was in captivity.

Acting on the confessions, detectives recovered Okah’s decomposing body in a bush near Ode-Ekiti and deposited it at a mortuary for autopsy. Search efforts continue for Abah’s body.

CP Lawal described the case as a heartbreaking example of betrayal, greed, and cold-blooded violence, calling it a “tragic reminder of the brutal consequences of premeditated crime.” He assured that every effort is being made to apprehend the remaining suspect and bring all involved to justice.