Eight days after gospel singer Timileyin Ajayi was arrested for allegedly murdering his ‘girlfriend,’ Salome Adaidu, his father has pleaded with the Nigerian government for leniency.
It is the first time the 32-year-old gospel singer’s family has spoken publicly since the incident gained widespread attention.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the artiste was apprehended in Agwan Sarki Orozo, Nasarawa State, while allegedly attempting to dispose of the severed head of 24-year-old Ms Adaidu, a Youth Corps Member serving in Abuja.
In a Channels TV interview on Monday, Mr Ajayi’s father said, “I want the government to help me; let them settle the matter. I plead. Help me beg the people; let them leave him (Timilehin Ajayi).”
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Mr Ajayi’s parents and siblings reside in the Orozo community within the same local government area where their son was nabbed.
The elderly couple grapples with the devastating incident that has sent widespread reactions. During the interview, the family revealed that Mr Ajayi “was not an outcast,” nor was he “disowned.”
While his father pleaded for leniency, his mother expressed willingness to let the government authorities handle the case. She stated, “Today, if it was one of my daughters, they did that (gruesome murder) to. How do I feel? So I don’t know—Anything the government wants to do (with the case) is in their hands.”
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Meanwhile, the Nigerian police have confirmed that investigations are ongoing, and the Nasarawa State Government has assured the public that justice will be served.
Shocking findings
Similarly, Esther Adaidu, the victim’s elder sister, speaking in an interview with Brekete Family, a human rights-focused radio and television program, revealed disturbing discoveries at Mr Ajayi’s residence.
She recounted, “When we went into his house—if you see the pool of blood in his toilet! If you see the table—he put a bench inside his room. Then, with a rubber, the kind that only women use—a man’s house. Then he had tomatoes in his room—plenty of tomatoes. I don’t know what he wanted to use the tomatoes for.
“But merely looking at that guy, he seems like someone who eats human flesh. He kept the tomatoes for a year. There was nothing like Indomie or food in the house. The only thing in the house was the Igbo (weed) he used to smoke. That was the only thing in the house when we entered.
“There was also a table with a cutlass and the rubber he used. Then there was a mop and a mopping bucket—the kind they use to clean. It was there, with water inside. Then he put water in about three buckets. He washed my sister’s body and some other body parts clean and kept them. It looked like he was planning to distribute them bit by bit. He thought he would return from his mission from where he went before he met his doom.”
She insisted, “My only concern is that the guy (Timileyin Ajayi) will not go scot-free. He can never go unpunished. He killed my sister (Salome Adaidu Eleojo), so they should kill him. He killed her for us for no reason.”
Background
The Nassarawa police told this newspaper that the gospel singer was apprehended after a motorcyclist transporting him noticed blood dripping from his luggage.
The alarmed rider alerted bystanders, leading to an attempted mob attack before the police intervened and rescued Mr Ajayi. He sustained injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
After his arrest on 12 January, he confessed to killing Ms Adaidu, saying they “couldn’t always be together.” He described their relationship as complicated and claimed her family didn’t know about it. Mr Ajayi alleged he found messages suggesting she was unfaithful, which led him to attack her in his bathroom. He admitted using a knife despite her apologies, insisting he had no regrets and voluntarily turned himself in to the community, who handed him over to the police.
However, the victim’s family refuted his claims, insisting there was no relationship between them and alleging she was kidnapped rather than visiting him willingly.
The Nasarawa State High Court has ordered Mr Ajayi’s remand, and the police confirmed his court appearance and detention, pending further proceedings. Authorities have assured the public that investigations are ongoing to ensure justice is served.
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