Ayra Starr, Simi, Join Call for Justice Over Nigerian Student’s Murder

They lived in the same state, attended the same church, and often exchanged lighthearted comments on each other's social media posts. On the day Idowu disappeared, she was on her way to a school training at the University of Lagos when it began to rain. Initially, she took refuge in Adeleye's family shop, but as the downpour worsened, he invited her to his home. Once there, Adeleye attempted to rape her. When she resisted, he killed her, a report by FIJ said.

He then took her phone and messaged her mother: "Hello Madam, you have such a beautiful daughter. How much are you willing to pay to see her again? We have her in our custody.” Adeleye extorted a total of ₦350,000 ($218) from Idowu’s parents, who were unaware she was already dead. He had sent a “proof of life” photo via WhatsApp's “view once” feature, showing her tied up with her head slumped.

Following the news, Nigerian women — and men — are demanding justice, with #JusticeforChristiannah trending on both X and TikTok.

Nigerian celebrities have also joined the call for justice. Earlier today, Ayra Starrwrote on X, “Stop killing us! Stop raping us! Women deserve better! #JusticeforChristiannah.” Simi added, “We’re not crazy. We’re afraid. To go out. To say no. To be. Our fears don't negate your own personal life experiences. So when you mock other people’s extremely valid fears as though it erases yours, you seem weak and cowardly. Stop it.” She also called on men (and everyone) to hold their friends accountable.

2019 Big Brother Naija reality show winner and brand influencer Mercy Ekeadded, “Women are constantly killed for nothing and justice is mostly never served.”

The tragic news of Idowu’s death comes only a few days after the story of 15-year-old Goodluck Bison took Nigeria by storm. According to Sahara Reporters, Bison broke into his neighbor’s home in the middle of the night, attacked 14-year-old Mercy Vangervihi – who was asleep in her bed – with a pestle, and while she bled out, raped her. Nigerians have spent the better part of the week rallying strongly for justice for Vangervihi.

Between 2020 and 2023, Nigeria witnessed a surge in cases of rape and femicide that made their way to social media. Some of the most high-profile incidents include the case of Benjamin Best Nnanyereugo, also known as “Kilaboi,” who, In July 2023, allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Augusta ‘Austa’ Osedion, a social media influencer and content creator. He confessed to the crime in a series of Instagram posts. After the murder, Nnanyereugo fled both the scene and the country, leaving Osedion’s body in his Lagos apartment, where authorities later found it. Despite widespread public outcry and demands for action, progress was slow. Osedion’s brother tracked Nnanyereugo across several African cities, to Sierra Leone, where, with the assistance of human rights lawyer Femi Falana, and the Sierra Leonean police, apprehended Nnanyereugo in a nightclub. As of now, no one knows the whereabouts of Nnanyereugo, and authorities have kept mum.

In October of the same year, Damian Okoligwe allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Justina Otuene, in the city of Port Harcourt. He was discovered carrying suspicious disposal bags into his car, which led to his arrest and to the discovery that he had killed and dismembered Otuene. They were both students of the University of Port Harcourt. Okoligwe insisted Otuene died in her sleep and he “only wanted to get rid of the body.”

April 8, 2022, prominent gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu died in a hospital in Abuja after she was allegedly beaten and kicked in the chest by her husband and manager, Peter Nwachukwu, in whose hands her children and close family members divulged she had been suffering years of domestic abuse.

May 2020, Vera Uwaila ‘Uwa’ Omozuwa, a 20-year-old student at the University of Benin was raped and killed in a Church in Edo state. In June of the same year, Bakarat Bello was discovered raped and stabbed to death, her body laying lifeless behind her parents’ home in Ibadan, Oyo state.

Bamise Ayanwola, a tailor in Lagos was allegedly raped and murdered in February 2022 by a bus driver Andrew Omonikoron, whose vehicle she had boarded on her way to visit family. Ayanwola went missing nine days prior to the discovery of her body dumped on the side of the road. As of June this year, four years after, Ayanwola is yet to get justice.

In April 2021, job-hunting graduate of the University of Uyo, Ini Umoren was kidnapped, raped and killed by Uduak Frank Akpan, who buried her body in a shallow grave in his house. In August 2022, Akpan was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.

According to the FIJ report, Adeleye confessed to the crime of murdering Idowu. He is now in police custody. However, many rapists and murderers remain free, with numerous cases going unheard and even those that are reported, like Nnanyereugo’s, often receive insufficient attention.

Recently, Kenya and other East African countries have been plagued by news of horrific acts of violence against women. High-profile cases, such as that of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who was doused in petrol and set on fire by her ex-partner, and 7-year-old Heaven Awot who was raped and murdered by her mother’s landlord, Getnet Baye, have sparked widespread outrage. The hashtag #JusticeforHeaven has become a rallying cry on Twitter. In Nigeria, the call is for #JusticeforChristiannah.

Despite the troubling rise in femicide across Nigeria being met with indifference and silence, many Nigerians persist in demanding justice. Celebrities are joining the call for action, with Chikeurging, “Stop killing women!” and Adekunle Gold emphasizing, “Men, true strength is not about staying silent but about standing up to your friends who abuse, rape, or demean women. Let’s redefine masculinity by holding each other accountable. #JusticeforChristiannah.”