Nasarawa Court Sentences Gospel Singer to Death by Hanging for Brutal Murder of NYSC Member Salome Adaidu
A High Court in Lafia has sentenced gospel singer Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the horrific murder of his girlfriend, Salome Adaidu, a 24-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving in Abuja.
Justice Simon Aboki, delivering the judgment on Thursday, declared Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide, an offense under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which carries the death penalty. The court concluded that the defendant willfully took the life of the young corps member and attempted to conceal the crime in a gruesome manner.
According to evidence presented during trial, Ajayi lured Salome to his residence in the Papalana area of New Karshi in Karu LGA, where he murdered her. After the killing, he dismembered her body, placing her severed head in a sack. The shocking discovery was made during a Sunday church service when suspicious congregants confronted Ajayi and found the head in the bag he carried.
Eyewitness Umaru Caleb, a fellow church member, stated the suspect was stopped by a worshipper who had a strange feeling about the sack. When it was opened, the severed head of Salome, still adorned with fresh “million braids,” was discovered, causing panic and outrage in the church.
Ajayi was immediately beaten by a mob before being handed over to the authorities. He later confessed during an interview that he committed the act out of jealousy and emotional frustration, alleging Salome had been unfaithful.
Despite admitting to the crime, Ajayi expressed no remorse, claiming he had “no regrets” and insisted the relationship lacked mutual understanding. “It wasn’t planned,” he told Channels TV. “But life is reciprocal, and I believed she deserved it.”
The verdict brings closure to a deeply disturbing case that shocked the nation. The court’s decision has been met with mixed emotions, with many hailing it as justice for the slain corps member, whose life was tragically cut short just as her future was unfolding.
