The High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a National Youth Service Corps member, Salome Adaidu.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Simon Aboki found Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide, having killed and dismembered the victim. The judge stated that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that the convict committed the crime at his residence.
Justice Aboki dismissed the defendant’s claim that he became unconscious after spending time with the deceased and that he was unaware when he wrote his confessional statement. He ruled that the argument lacked merit and held Ajayi accountable for the offence after months of trial.
The court convicted him under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which prescribes the death penalty for culpable homicide. Justice Aboki declared, “The law is clear on this, and the punishment is death. Therefore, the accused is hereby sentenced to death by hanging.”
Ajayi was arrested by the police after churchgoers in Orozo, a border community between Abuja and Nasarawa, caught him carrying a polybag containing the severed head of the victim. A subsequent police investigation led to the discovery of the remaining body parts in his apartment in New Karshi, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The deceased, Salome Adaidu, was reportedly murdered during a visit to Ajayi’s residence.
In a viral post-arrest interview, Ajayi confessed to the crime, claiming it was not premeditated but an act committed in a fit of jealousy. He said, “I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time. It’s not something I planned. It happened on that day, and it happened. Not that I had the plan in mind, she was cheating.”
He added that he found incriminating messages on her phone, which triggered his actions. When asked if he had any regrets, he responded, “I don’t have any regrets because life is reciprocal; that is what I thought. If you must do something to someone, you have to be reciprocal with that person. You have to understand what that person is going through so that you can put yourself in the position that the person is going through.”
