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By Oscar Okhifo
In a chilling conclusion to one of the most shocking murder cases in recent memory, a High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced 32-year-old gospel singer, Oluwatimileyin “Timileyin” Ajayi, to death by hanging for the brutal murder of his alleged girlfriend, 24-year-old Salome Adaidu
Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Simon Aboki held that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Ajayi willfully killed and dismembered the young woman, in violation of Section 221 of the Penal Code.
“The evidence presented, including the defendant’s confession and forensic findings, leaves no doubt that the act was intentional, gruesome, and deserving of the full weight of the law,” the judge ruled.
The case, which drew national outrage earlier this year, began in January when Ajayi was caught near the Agwan Sarki area in Orozo, Abuja, carrying a polythene bag containing Adaidu’s severed head. Following his arrest, the singer confessed to the killing, claiming that he acted out of jealousy after accusing her of infidelity.
“I didn’t plan to kill her,” Ajayi had told investigators. “I saw some of her chats with other guys, and I got angry.”
Throughout the trial, Ajayi maintained that Salome was his girlfriend a claim strongly disputed by the victim’s family, who described her as God-fearing and focused on her service year.
“He destroyed our daughter and tried to destroy her reputation too,” a grieving family member said outside the courtroom.
The courtroom was filled with tension as Justice Aboki pronounced the death sentence, bringing tears to the eyes of both the victim’s relatives and other observers present.
The case has ignited fresh debate on gender-based violence in Nigeria, with women’s rights groups calling for stricter enforcement of laws protecting women and young girls.
Salome Adaidu was laid to rest in her hometown in Benue State in January, just days after news of her gruesome killing went viral.
With this verdict, Oluwatimileyin Ajayi joins the ranks of rare death row convicts in Nigeria, a country where death sentences are infrequent and executions even rarer.
He has the right to appeal the ruling. Will he appeal or surrender immediately to the hangman? The days ahead will reveal.