Gospel artiste sentenced to death for killing NYSC member in Nasarawa

A Nasarawa State High Court sitting in Lafia has sentenced gospel singer, Oluwatimileyin Ajayi, to death by hanging for the murder of a 24-year-old corps member, Salome Adaidu.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday, June 26, 2025, by Justice Simon Aboki, who found the accused guilty of culpable homicide, an offence under Section 221 of the Penal Code.

The court ruled that overwhelming evidence linked Ajayi to the gruesome death of the corps member, whose body was discovered in his apartment in Lafia.

Miss Adaidu, a youth corps member from Benue State, was reported missing in the latter part of 2023 while serving in Nasarawa.

Following an intense investigation, her dismembered remains were recovered from the convict’s residence, drawing public outrage and sparking debate about the vulnerability of young female corps members in Nigeria.

Delivering judgment, Justice Aboki declared, “This court is convinced that the prosecution has established its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The convict acted deliberately and without any sense of humanity. He is hereby sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead.”

Ajayi, who once presented himself as a gospel singer, denied the charges when he was first arraigned in January 2024.

However, throughout the trial, the prosecution tendered conclusive evidence, ranging from forensic results to digital communications and eyewitness accounts, that decisively implicated him in the killing.