Osamagbe Imadiyi
Salome Adaidu, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, was killed at his home a few weeks ago, and Timileyin Ajayi, a gospel singer and suspected murderer, has entered a not guilty plea.
On January 12, he was taken into custody by the Nasarawa State Police Command and charged with culpable homicide, which carries a death sentence. At his arraignment before Justice Simeon Aboki at Court 2 in Lafia on Monday, the suspect entered a not guilty plea to Adaidu’s murder, according to the police.
Stanley Nwaforagu, the Nasarawa State Police Command’s Officer-in-Charge, Legal, informed reporters following the court hearing that even though he had entered a not guilty plea to the charge, the police would keep investigating the case until justice was done.
Nwaforagu stated, “The defendant, Mr. Timileyin Ajayi, was duly arraigned before this Honorable court on the one count charge of culpable homicide punishable by death today, the 27th day of January 2025.
“He entered a not guilty plea to the charge after his plea was accepted. Additionally, a trial date was set. The trial date has been rescheduled from March 17 to March 20. It is a positive development that the court wants to give it a speedy, accelerated trial. We are confident that justice will be served because the charge is supported by overwhelming evidence”.
Joseph Tukur, the defendant’s attorney, promised him that he would pursue the case for his client, Ajayi, until the law was followed.
“Today’s primary focus was arraignment. Additionally, he has already entered his plea as required by law, so we have scheduled a hearing for today”.
Responding to how the case will be proved despite the earlier comments made by his client on the matter, he said, “It is not my place to prove the case. It is my place to defend him. The work of the defence counsel is to ensure that the prosecution does their work legally well which is to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. So, I am here to make sure that the law is fulfilled.”
