Timileyin Ajayi, the suspected killer of Salome Adaidu, has been arraigned before the High Court of Justice in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State.
He faces a charge of culpable homicide, punishable by death, under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria.
Ajayi was brought before Justice Simon Aboki on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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The 32-year-old is accused of murdering Adaidu, a 24-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who had been serving at Nicon Insurance in Abuja before her death.
Salome was killed when she visited Ajayi at his home in the Papalana area of New Karshi in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The police paraded Ajayi alongside the knife and machetes he used in committing the crime.
He was arrested on Sunday, January 12, 2025, while attempting to dispose of Salome’s head after killing and dismembering her body.
In an interview with ChannelsTelevision, when asked if he killed Salome, Ajayi admitted to the crime, explaining that it wasn’t premeditated. He stated, “I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time. It’s not something I planned. It happened on that day. I found out she was cheating, hiding things from me, and I discovered her conversations with other guys on her phone, which led me to make that decision.”
When further questioned, he expressed no regret for his actions. “I don’t have any regrets because life is reciprocal,” he said. “If you do something to someone, you have to understand what they are going through and put yourself in their position. That’s why I don’t regret it—we were compatible.”