Worshippers at a church in Orozo, a community that shared border with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Nasarawa State on Sunday, apprehended a man, identified as Oluwatimileyin Ajayi, found carrying the decapitated head of his girlfriend in a polybag during a church service.
The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the community and across the internet as graphic pictures and videos of the suspect and the decapitated head of a young woman circulated widely online.
The incident occurred around 11 am during a thanksgiving service marking the end of a seven-day fast.
Speaking to TheNigerian Online, the church’s Bible Study Teacher and General Secretary, Caleb Umaru, recounted the events.
“It was almost the end of service around 11am during the final pledge and prayers. A church member, Bro Victor, opened his eyes during prayers and saw someone passing by the river close to the church, carrying a bag and his movement was suspicious. That drew his attention. He called the attention of another brother, Brother Amos,” Umaru explained.
The two men found Ajayi sitting at the back of the church.
“When he saw them, he threw a black nylon bag into the river,” Umaru said.
Umaru explained that the river’s water level was low because of the dry season.
“They inquired from him what he threw into the river and he said nothing. After many questions that he didn’t answer, they left him and went back but didn’t go into the church,” Umaru stated.
Shortly after, two bikemen arrived.
“While they were discussing outside, two bikemen came and asked the brothers if they had seen anyone pass through and they asked the bikemen to describe the person they were looking for.
“When the description matched, they told the bikemen that the person was at the back of their church. And the guy was still sitting there which I consider a miraculous intervention,” Umaru said
One of the bikemen said he picked the suspect up from a neighbouring town, Loko-Tiye, and he observed that blood was dripping from the bag he carried.
The bikeman questioned the suspect about the content of the bag but the suspect asked to alight close to the church.
The bikeman, not wanting to confront the man alone, called another bikeman to trace the suspect.
The four men confronted Ajayi, asking him to retrieve the bag he had thrown into the river.
As the situation unfolded, church members gathered outside, and the pastor was informed.
He came out to join the group before returning to alert the congregation about the alarming situation.
“People came outside and he was surrounded and he was repeatedly asked to open the bag,” Umaru said.
Ajayi suddenly started running and the men ran after him.
Umaru added, “It took the grace of God for the four of them to be able to catch him. That’s why you can see the video happened in a bushy area, like a farm. He ran very far.
“The bikemen started hitting his head with a stick but the church brothers tried to stop the bikemen from killing him because they wanted to follow the matter up.
“The guy was injured and was already weak and couldn’t talk and still no one knew what was in the bag.
“My pastor took a bike to go bring a policeman but he couldn’t find a police officer at the station until someone called a policeman to come and that’s why you can see in the video I shared one policeman interrogating him.”
In the video observed by TheNigerian Online, the police officer in plainclothes asked him how long he had been dating the lady, and he said, “Like a year.”
Umaru further explained that the suspect was asked why he had knife cuts on his hand and he said he had an argument with his girlfriend.
Umaru said the suspect narrated that he collected her phone and saw she was chatting with another guy and they started dragging the phone and the girlfriend used a knife to cut his hand which led to the injury.
“He said he collected the knife and stabbed her in the neck,” Umaru said.
“Someone went to open nylon back in the church area and someone came to report to us that it was human head that was inside the nylon where we were and people started rushing to go and see for themselves,” Umaru stated.
When asked where he was taking the head, “he said one woman told them to bring the head for her.”
Umaru added, “He said the girl is from around Mararaba, Nyanya, and he doesn’t know her relatives.”
Umaru told TheNigerian Online that the police officer called other men from the police force and they took over 30 minutes to arrive.
“They carried his body because he was lying down and almost half dead and they put him in the police van. They also took the head,” he said.
The police van and the men of the police force were also seen in the video posted on Facebook.
Netizens have identified Ajayi as a gospel singer, and Umaru confirmed that a friend from Lagos had mentioned his background as a gospel musician.
However, TheNigerian Online has not yet independently verified these claims.
“He was asked what job he was into and he said he is into social media management and he is a content creator,” Umaru said.
Umaru could not confirm which police station the men came from.
TheNigerian Online initially contacted FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, as Orozo was presumed to fall under Abuja’s jurisdiction.
She clarified that the area is under Nasarawa State, redirecting the inquiry to the Nasarawa PPRO, Ramhan Nansel.
However, attempts to reach Nansel were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Umaru said the incident has deeply shaken the church community.
“This was my first time seeing something like this physically. I only watch it.
“I have not seen something like this before,” he said.
