A High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced gospel musician Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Salome Adaidu.
Justice Simon Aboki delivered the verdict on Thursday, finding Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide following months of legal proceedings.
Ajayi was convicted under Section 221 of the Penal Code applicable in Northern Nigeria, which mandates the death penalty for culpable homicide.
“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 ruled.
Adaidu, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was serving at Nicon Insurance in Abuja at the time of her death.
Ajayi was apprehended in January while in possession of Adaidu’s severed head.
Ajayi reportedly confessed that he did not regret his action. 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 have the plan in mind,” Ajayi said.
“She was cheating. She hides most of the things from me most of the time. I got to know from her phone. I saw her chats with other guys on the phone, that was why I decided.
“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. That is why I don’t have any regrets because we were compatible.”
However, the victim’s elder sister, Esther Adaidu, denied that any relationship existed between Adaidu and Ajayi.
A High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced gospel musician Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, 24-year-old Salome Adaidu.
Justice Simon Aboki delivered the verdict on Thursday, finding Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide following months of legal proceedings.
Ajayi was convinced under Section 221 of the Penal Code applicable in Northern Nigeria, which mandates the death penalty for culpable homicide.
“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 ruled.
Adaidu, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), was serving at Nicon Insurance in Abuja at the time of her death.
Ajayi was apprehended in January while in possession of Adaidu’s severed head.
Ajayi reportedly confessed that he did not regret his action. 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 have the plan in mind,” Ajayi said.
“She was cheating. She hides most of the things from me most of the time. I got to know from her phone. I saw her chats with other guys on the phone, that was why I decided.
“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. That is why I don’t have any regrets because we were compatible.”
However, the victim’s elder sister, Esther Adaidu, denied that any relationship existed between Adaidu and Ajayi.
