Crime
Court Sentences Corps Member to Death for Killing Girlfriend in Nasarawa
A High Court in Nasarawa has sentenced corps member Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for killing his girlfriend, Salome Adaidu, in Papaladna
Corps member death sentence was handed down on Thursday by a High Court sitting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, after the conviction of 31-year-old gospel singer, Oluwatimileyin Ajayi, for the murder of his girlfriend, Salome Adaidu.
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Justice Simon Aboki, who presided over the case, ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Ajayi intentionally killed the 24-year-old, who was a serving corps member, at his residence in Papaladna village, Karshi Development Area of Karu Local Government Area.
Delivering judgment after months of trial, the judge rejected Ajayi’s defence that he lost consciousness following intimate moments with the victim and did not know how the murder occurred.
He also dismissed the convict’s claim that his confessional statement was made in an unconscious state, stating it lacked credibility.
Justice Aboki noted, “The law is clear on this, and the punishment is death. Therefore, the accused is hereby sentenced to death by hanging.” He cited Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which stipulates the mandatory death penalty for murder.
The case, which drew attention for its disturbing details, revolved around three central pieces of evidence: the defendant’s confessional statement marked Exhibit L, a machete identified as Exhibit N_1, and smaller knives categorised under Exhibit N\_2.
Prosecuting counsel, Raymond Umaru, had earlier urged the court to impose the maximum sentence, arguing that the confessional statement was consistent with other testimonies presented during the trial.
“Exhibit L is evidence before the court and is corroborated by other facts. We urge the court to look at those pieces of evidence together,” he said.
Umaru stressed that the court had a duty to uphold legal principles and impose the full weight of the law to serve justice.
However, defence counsel Joseph Tuku-Bisong challenged the credibility of the evidence. He claimed the exhibits lacked probative value and argued that the court should acquit the defendant.
“Though they have been admitted, there is something called probative value. Don’t attach probative value to those exhibits,” he said.
Despite the arguments, the court concluded that the weight of evidence pointed unmistakably to Ajayi’s guilt. With the sentence now passed, Ajayi faces the ultimate penalty under the Nigerian legal system.
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The ruling serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of violent crime and the gravity with which the Nigerian judiciary treats proven cases of murder.
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Police arrest seven suspected kidnappers in Abuja and Kaduna, recover Oluwadamilola Adedayo’s body and seize AK-47 rifles and ammunition
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested seven suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate operating in the Federal Capital Territory and Kaduna State, recovering the remains of a woman allegedly abducted and killed by the gang.
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The police said the decomposing body of Oluwadamilola Adedayo was recovered from the suspects’ camp in Tukuba Forest, Kuje, Abuja, on October 19, 2026, following an intelligence-led investigation.
The victim was abducted alongside her mother, Nancy Adedayo, her 12-year-old brother, David Adedayo, and their housemaid, Jennifer David, during a gunpoint raid on their residence on Adedayo Adeosun Street, Kuchiyako, Kuje, on August 23.
According to the police, the kidnappers released the victim’s mother about an hour after the abduction to arrange ransom payment, while the housemaid and the boy were assaulted and abandoned unconscious in a forest.
They later regained consciousness and found their way home.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Commander of the Force Intelligence Department’s Special Tactical Squad, ACP Godfrey Victor, said the operation followed a petition referred by the Inspector-General of Police’s Secretariat on October 15.
He said intelligence gathering led to the arrest of two suspects in Rijana community, Kaduna State, while five others were subsequently apprehended in Sagbon Lugbe, Abuja, through a joint operation involving police officers, vigilante operatives and other security agencies.
“On 19th October 2026, operatives led by ACP Victor Ogbiede Godfrey proceeded to the gang’s camp at Tukuba Forest, Kuje, FCT, where the decomposing body of Miss Oluwadamilola Adedayo was recovered,” he said.
Victor said the family paid N16.2m for the release of the abducted children, but the suspects allegedly demanded an additional N50m before releasing Oluwadamilola.
The police identified the seven suspects as Ishaka Abdullahi, 27, also known as Langalanga; Abdullahi Dabo, 42; Abubakar Jibrin, 20, also known as Mai-Laya; Barahu Ibrahim, 24, also known as Black; Sani Mohammed, 24; Alidu Lawal, 18, also known as De Jaguar; and Yakubu Abubakar, 28, also known as Soldier.
The suspects remain allegations under investigation and have not been convicted by a court.
The operation also resulted in the recovery of weapons and other items allegedly linked to the syndicate.
According to Victor, the exhibits included four AK-47 rifles, a locally made revolver pistol, 63 rounds of live ammunition, a mobile phone allegedly used for ransom negotiations, N400,000 and a motorcycle.
He added that investigators had linked the group to the abduction of a businessman, John Ali, in Kuje on September 24.
The police said investigations were continuing as they worked to establish the full extent of the syndicate’s activities and gather evidence for prosecution.
Oluwadamilola’s father expressed gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police and the officers involved in the investigation, but said the family remained devastated by her death.
“The kidnapping and murder of our beloved daughter, Oluwadamilola, at this time has left our family in deep pain. However, the support and assurance from the leadership of the police force has given us strength and hope that justice will prevail,” he said.
He urged the police to pursue the investigation to its conclusion and ensure that everyone found responsible was brought to justice.
“We continue to appeal to the police, with the help of Almighty God, to get to the root of this matter and ensure that all those responsible for this wicked act are brought to book,” he added.
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The arrests mark a significant development in the investigation into the family’s abduction, although the police have yet to announce the outcome of the prosecution process.
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