The High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced gospel musician Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the gruesome killing and dismemberment of 24-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Salome Adaidu.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Simon Aboki found Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which prescribes the death penalty.
“The evidence before the court clearly shows that the accused intentionally caused the death of the deceased. The law is clear on this, and the punishment is death. Therefore, the accused is hereby sentenced to death by hanging,” Justice Aboki declared.
Ajayi, who was arrested in January with the severed head of the deceased, was charged with a one-count charge of culpable homicide. The court found that he intentionally killed Adaidu, who was serving with Nicon Insurance in Abuja at the time of her death.
In a chilling interview with Channels TV, Ajayi admitted to the crime and claimed he had no remorse. “I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time… She was cheating. I saw her chats with other guys on the phone,” he said. “I don’t have any regrets because life is reciprocal.”
However, the victim’s elder sister, Esther Adaidu, strongly refuted Ajayi’s claims, stating that there was no romantic relationship between her late sister and the convicted killer.
The case shocked the nation earlier this year when it emerged that Ajayi had murdered and mutilated the young corps member. Public outcry and calls for justice followed swiftly, culminating in Thursday’s sentencing.
