Ondo State Police Command has arrested the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of two missing students: Andrel Eloho Okah and John Friday Abba from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA)
The suspect was caught alongside three accomplices after detectives traced them to their hideouts. This breakthrough came shortly after the victims’ bodies were discovered.
Police sources say the lead suspect’s identity is being withheld to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Okah, a student of History and International Studies in the Faculty of Arts, and Abba, a student of Economics in the Faculty of Agriculture, were reported missing days before their bodies were found in a shallow grave. The grave was located deep in a forest along the Ondo-Ekiti border.
A reliable source, speaking under condition of anonymity due to the case’s sensitivity, revealed that the suspect led police to the burial site.
“The prime suspect has been arrested and is currently providing useful information to the authorities. Their corpses have been recovered and deposited in the morgue,” the source said.
The discovery was harrowing. Okah was reportedly found naked, brutalized, and tied up before she was murdered.
“She was tortured, tied, and left to die in the bush. It’s a tragic case. Security operatives are intensifying efforts to uncover the full details and motive behind the killings,” the source added.
Confirming the incident, Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adebowale Lawal, shared details during a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olusola Odunsola, in Akure.
“We went all the way near the Ekiti State boundary where the bodies of the students were exhumed. They had been buried inside the bush,” CP Lawal said.
He also raised concerns over growing security threats in the state, especially in known flashpoint areas. He condemned the surge in vehicles without license plates on Ondo roads.
According to reliable sources at the meeting, CP Lawal urged the Chief Judge to fast-track decisions on long-standing criminal cases in the State High Courts.
He said this would help reinforce justice and improve security across the state.