The High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the brutal killing of Salome Adaidu, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
In the ruling delivered on Thursday, Justice Simon Aboki held that the prosecution successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ajayi committed the murder. According to the judge, evidence presented during the trial confirmed that Ajayi killed and dismembered the victim at his residence.
Ajayi had claimed in his defense that he was unconscious at the time he made his confessional statement and had blacked out after spending time with his girlfriend. However, Justice Aboki dismissed this claim as implausible and found the defendant guilty after a lengthy trial process.
Citing Section 221 of the Penal Code applicable in Northern Nigeria, which mandates capital punishment for culpable homicide, Justice Aboki delivered the final verdict.
“The law is explicit on this matter. The appropriate sentence for this offence is death. Accordingly, the defendant is hereby sentenced to death by hanging,” he declared.
Ajayi was apprehended by members of a church in Orozo, a community near the Abuja-Nasarawa border, after they discovered him in possession of a nylon bag containing the severed head of the deceased. A police investigation later led to the recovery of additional body parts from his apartment in New Karshi, located within Karu Local Government Area.
Reports indicate that Salome Adaidu was murdered during a visit to Ajayi’s home.
In an interview following his arrest, which went viral, Ajayi admitted to the crime, stating that he acted out of jealousy. He claimed that the incident was not pre-planned but occurred during an emotional outburst.
“I didn’t intend to do it. It just happened that day. I felt betrayed. She was hiding things from me, and I saw conversations on her phone with other men. That’s what triggered everything,” he confessed.
