Court sentences Timileyin Ajayi to death for brutal murder of NYSC member

A High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the brutal murder and beheading of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Salome Adaidu.

Justice Simon Aboki delivered the judgment on Thursday, declaring Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide after a prolonged trial that shocked many with its chilling details.

The incident, which occurred in 2022, sent shockwaves across the country and sparked outrage on social media. Salome Adaidu, a 26-year-old graduate deployed to Nasarawa for her mandatory one-year national service, was reported missing by fellow corps members in the Mararaba area of Karu Local Government. Her dismembered remains were later discovered in a shallow grave near the area, with her head severed — a detail that horrified both the public and law enforcement.

Following an intensive investigation, police arrested Ajayi, a local resident known to the victim. He was charged with a one-count charge of culpable homicide, contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code Law applicable in Northern Nigeria, which prescribes the death penalty for such offences.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented compelling evidence, including forensic reports and witness testimony, establishing that Ajayi deliberately lured Adaidu to a secluded location where he murdered her and attempted to conceal the crime by dismembering her body.

In his ruling, Justice Aboki said the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and described the killing as premeditated and “inhuman in the extreme.”

“This court has no option but to impose the maximum punishment as provided by law. The defendant is hereby sentenced to death by hanging,” the judge pronounced.

The case reignited calls for improved security for corps members across Nigeria, particularly those posted to rural or volatile areas. The NYSC has yet to officially comment on the verdict, but the judgment has been welcomed by many as justice for the slain young woman whose life was cut short in the course of national service.