A court in Nasarawa State has sentenced gospel musician Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death for the murder of his girlfriend, Salome Adaidu, a corps member serving in the state at the time of her death.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Simon Aboki at the High Court in Lafia on Thursday, followed a months-long trial that examined the circumstances surrounding the killing, which took place in Papaladna, a village in the Karshi Development Area of Karu Local Government.

According to court findings, the victim had visited the defendant’s residence before she was killed. The prosecution argued that Ajayi was directly responsible for her death and supported its case with multiple exhibits, including a written confession and sharp objects believed to have been used in the attack.

Ajayi had claimed in his defense that he was not conscious at the time of the crime and also disputed the validity of the confession he signed. However, the judge ruled that these claims were not convincing and noted that the confession aligned with witness testimonies and physical evidence presented in court.

The court found Ajayi guilty under Section 221 of the Penal Code, which prescribes the death penalty for murder. The judge noted that the punishment was mandatory in this case and issued a sentence of death by hanging.

During the final arguments, the prosecuting counsel, Raymond Umaru, urged the court to take into account the totality of the evidence and uphold the law by delivering the maximum sentence. He described the confession, marked as Exhibit L, as consistent with the broader facts of the case.

Defense lawyer Joseph Tuku-Bisong questioned the reliability of the confession and the weapons submitted as evidence. He argued that they should not be considered sufficient to convict his client and asked for an acquittal.

Despite the defense’s position, the court concluded that the evidence met the legal threshold for a conviction and imposed the mandatory sentence.