Mrs. Ojomachenwu Adaidu, the mother of Salome Adaidu, the corps member gruesomely murdered in Nasarawa State, revealed that upon hearing of her daughter’s death, she wanted to end her own life but was restrained by others.
Salome, who she said was her pillar since her husband’s death, was allegedly beheaded by her boyfriend, Timileyin Ajayi, a gospel singer.
Ajayi was apprehended near a church in Orozo on Sunday, January 12, 2025, with Salome’s severed head in his possession.
Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, Mrs. Adaidu recounted the painful moment she learned of her daughter’s death while unwell in her village.
“Around 3:30 pm, someone claiming to be a police officer called me,” she said. “He spoke Hausa, but I told him I didn’t understand. An hour later, he called back using my daughter’s phone, saying she was in Uke General Hospital with a broken leg and on oxygen.”
Her mother grew alarmed and cried out, fearing the worst. “He tried to console me, saying I should thank God I even knew about the accident.
But my younger children rushed to the hospital, and I didn’t hear from them again until the evening.”
Around 8 pm, she received devastating news. “My husband’s brother told me they had cut my daughter and she was dead. I screamed, saying it couldn’t be true.”
Reflecting on Salome’s life, she described her as selfless and hardworking, saying, “She carried goods on her head to sell so we could eat. Now, look at how she died.”
Patience Unekwuojo Adaidu, Salome’s eldest sister, denied claims that Timileyin Ajayi was her boyfriend, explaining, “As a family, we didn’t know him as such. On the Saturday before her death, Salome said she was visiting a friend we trusted because we had known them for seven years.”
The family grew concerned when Salome didn’t return on Sunday. “While heading to my station, I was called to go to Uke Hospital because my sister had an accident,” Patience said. But upon arrival, she discovered the horrifying truth. “I thought it was a normal accident, but her body had been butchered into about 40 clean pieces, like a cow being prepared for slaughter.”
Police informed the family that Salome’s body was too mutilated for the mortuary to accept, forcing them to bury her temporarily.
“The burial was just to keep her body somewhere; that’s not where she belongs,” Patience lamented. She described her sister as ambitious, noting, “Her boss at Nicon Insurance had just registered her for a professional course, and she was excited about it.”
The suspect, Timileyin Ajayi, is now in custody at the Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia, facing charges for Salome’s murder.
The Adaidu family is demanding justice. “She’s gone and can’t tell her what happened but we need justice for her,” Patience stated firmly.
