The trial of Timileyin Ajayi, the suspected killer of Salome Adaidu, began on Monday at High Court 2 in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State.
The prosecuting lawyers brought three out of five witnesses to testify against him.
The witnesses, who submitted their statements as evidence in court, claimed that the victim’s body was found in Ajayi’s possession.
Ajayi was first brought before Justice Simon Aboki of the High Court in January, where he pleaded not guilty to killing Salome Adaidu, a National Youth Service Corps member who was allegedly found dead in his home.
The Nigeria Police had charged Ajayi with culpable homicide, a crime punishable by death under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria.
The Nasarawa State Government took over the case and appeared in court to start the trial.
During Monday’s session, the prosecutors requested to correct the suspect’s name from Timileyin Ajayi to Oluwatimileyin Daniels Ajayi.
The prosecuting lawyers presented three witnesses and submitted five statements as exhibits, labelled A to E, which the court accepted as evidence.
The three witnesses explained to the court how the accused, Oluwatimileyin Ajayi, was involved in the killing of Salome Adaidu. They were then questioned by the defence lawyer.
After hearing the arguments, Justice Simon Aboki adjourned the case, setting the next trial dates for March 17 to March 20.
Speaking after the session, the prosecuting lawyer, Raymond Umoru, said, “The witnesses gave vital information as to what transpired. So we hope that at the end of the day, justice will be done.”
The defence lawyer, Joseph Tuku-Bisong, also commented, saying, “We have just started today, and we thank God for the success recorded. The prosecution called three witnesses, and we played our part by cross-examining them.”
