Police in Nigeria’s Nasarawa have arrested a gospel singer, Timilehin Ajayi, for allegedly killing and dismembering his 24-year-old girlfriend, Salome Enejo, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for suspected ritual purposes.
The victim, Enejo, was a NYSC member serving in Abuja before she was brutally murdered by the suspect, Nasarawa State Police Command’s spokesman Ramhan Nansel said.
The suspect, Ajayi, was apprehended by churchgoers on Sunday in Orozo, a community bordering the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and Nasarawa State after he was found carrying a polybag containing the severed head of Enejo, according to The Punch newspaper.
One of the church members reportedly noticed Ajayi acting suspiciously near a river and alerted others when Ajayi threw a bag into the river, which was later retrieved and found to contain his girlfriend’s severed head.
“It was just before the end of the service, around 11 a.m., during the final pledge and prayers. A church member, Brother Victor, opened his eyes during the prayers and noticed someone walking suspiciously by the river near the church, carrying a bag. His movements caught Victor’s attention, prompting him to call over Brother Amos to take notice as well,” the church’s Bible Study Teacher and General Secretary Caleb Umaru told The Punch newspaper.
“When he saw them, he threw a black nylon bag into the river, and when they enquired from him what he threw into the river, he said nothing. After many questions that he didn’t answer, they left him and went back but didn’t go into the church.”
According to Umaru, the suspect attempted to flee the scene after he was repeatedly asked to open the bag before he was chased down and apprehended in a farm area and before he was handed over to the police, who arrived at the scene just in time.
He said a motorcyclist who had transported Ajayi with the sack enlisted help to confront him. According to Umaru, the four men approached Ajayi and ordered him to retrieve the bag he had thrown into the river.
Police spokesman Ramhan Nansel said the suspect was rescued from being mobbed by the vengeful crowd who caught him with the severed head.
He said: “The suspect was found with a fresh human head, and when we got to the scene, we rescued him from being mobbed by the ones who accosted him.
“During the investigation at his place of residence, we found two sacks filled with the victim’s dismembered body. The victim has been identified as 24-year-old Salome Enejo; her parents have been contacted and have identified her. She is a National Youth Service Corps member, serving in Abuja.
“The suspect is currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital; he was injured when we rescued him. A thorough investigation has commenced.”
The spate of femicide in Africa continues to leave a trail of devastation.
Also, Nigeria is presently grappling with a sinister phenomenon that has already claimed countless lives and left families devastated.
Ritual killing, driven by the belief that human body parts can be used for sudden wealth and power to manipulate and control, has become a scary reality in the country. This heinous practice, which is usually glossed over as a folktale until one falls victim, is an affront to human dignity and a blight on our collective conscience.
Some individuals believe that human organs and body parts possess spiritual powers that can bring lasting wealth, success, and protection. This belief is perpetuated by false narratives and superstitions by dishonest individuals.
Recent data suggests that the problem is escalating.
Nigeria is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with skyrocketing inflation, a national currency in free-fall and millions of people struggling to survive.
Poverty, unemployment, and a lack of education create an environment where desperate individuals are preyed upon by unscrupulous ritualists.
Follow the KOIKIMEDIA NEWS 🗞️ CHANNEL on WhatsApp