THE High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the murder of a National Youth Service Corps member, Salome Adaidu.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, June 26, the judge, Simon Aboki, found Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide, having killed and dismembered the victim.
Ajayi was convicted on a one-count charge of culpable homicide, punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria by death.
The ICIR reported that Ajayi, who lived in the Pablana area, was caught around Angwan Bako near the Kaja Estate in the New Karu LGA when conveying the severed head of Salomey to an undisclosed destination on a commercial motorcycle, popularly known as ‘okada’.
Consequently, an angry mob descended on him, and upon receiving information about the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Nasarawa State directed police personnel to move to the scene immediately.
“They raced to the scene and rescued the suspect from being lynched. The suspect was then taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment. A follow-up investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at the suspect’s residence, where the remains of the lady who was later identified as Eliojo Salomey, 24 years old of Yanyan, FCT, Abuja, and a serving corps member, were recovered,” the Nasarawa police spokesperson, Nansel Ramhan, said in a statement sent to The ICIR on of Monday, January 13.
Ajayi, who was arrested on January 12 while attempting to dispose of Salome’s severed head, confessed to killing her during his parade at the Nasarawa State Police Command headquarters in Lafia.
He claimed his actions were fueled by jealousy and accusations of infidelity. “I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time. She was cheating. I don’t have any regrets because life is reciprocal,” he said.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance