Death by Hanging: Full Story of Gospel Singer Who Killed Girlfriend and Cut Body into Pieces.
The case that shocked Nigeria in early 2025 has finally come to a close. Timileyin Ajayi, the 32-year-old gospel singer who was caught with the severed head of a young woman, has been sentenced to death.
While the incident happened over a year ago, the legal proceedings concluded in the middle of last year. Here is a complete update on the case and what led to the final judgment.
On June 26, 2025, Justice Simon Aboki of the High Court in Lafia delivered the ruling. Ajayi was found guilty of culpable homicide under Section 221 of the Northern Nigeria Penal Code. The sentence was death by hanging.
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The judge did not hold back in his assessment of the case. He described the evidence against Ajayi as “overwhelming and damning.” A key piece of evidence was the recovery of the victim’s head, which Ajayi was carrying in a bag when he was caught by churchgoers in the Orozo area.
The victim was 24-year-old Salome Eleojo Adaidu. According to reports, Ajayi killed her and then dismembered her body, cutting it into more than 50 pieces. The remains were found bagged in his apartment.
During the trial, Ajayi’s lawyers tried to argue that he did not plan the killing. They claimed he acted in a fit of sudden rage or was “unconscious” when it happened. However, the court rejected this. The judge ruled that the extreme act of cutting the body into so many pieces showed a clear and deliberate intent to kill.
While Ajayi told the police he killed Salome out of jealousy, the public and investigators suspected other motives. Many believed there was a ritualistic angle to the crime. The way the body was so carefully cut and bagged led to widespread speculation that the remains were being prepared for rituals.
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Adding to the confusion, Salome’s family has always maintained that Ajayi was never her boyfriend. Her sister and brother told the press that they had never heard of him before the murder. They believe he may have tricked Salome into coming to his house, possibly through social media. Ajayi was known online for posting motivational and religious content on TikTok, which later earned him the nickname the “Motivational Killer.”
As of early 2026, the death sentence handed down to Timileyin Ajayi remains in place. In the Nigerian legal system, a person sentenced to death has the right to appeal the judgment. However, legal experts and observers believe that given the strength of the physical evidence and his earlier public confessions to the police, the chances of the sentence being overturned are very low. For now, he remains on death row.
Death by Hanging: Full Story of Gospel Singer Who Killed Girlfriend and Cut Body into Pieces.
