A High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced gospel artist Timileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the murder of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Salome Adaidu.
Presiding over the case, Justice Simon Aboki ruled that Ajayi was guilty of culpable homicide, which carries a mandatory death sentence under Section 221 of the Penal Code applicable in northern Nigeria.
The ruling follows Ajayi’s confession in January, during which he admitted to killing Adaidu in a moment of rage. According to him, he acted out of anger after discovering she had allegedly been unfaithful.
“I didn’t plan to kill her. She is always cheating; she hides most things from me. I discovered she was cheating when I saw her phone, so I got angry seeing her chat with other guys, and that’s why I killed her,” Ajayi had told investigators.
Despite his confession, Ajayi pleaded not guilty to the charge during the trial.
Ajayi arrested in Nasarawa
The shocking case gained public attention earlier in the year when Ajayi was apprehended in the Agwan Sarki area of Orozo, a border community between Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory. He was found carrying the severed head of the victim in a polythene bag.
Ajayi claimed he had been in a romantic relationship with Adaidu for a year. However, her family denied this, insisting she was never involved with him.
