A High Court sitting in Minna, Niger State has sentenced 16-year-old Joy Afekafe to life imprisonment for the murder of Dr. Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, after nearly two years of legal proceedings.
Justice Aishetu Mohammed of High Court No. 4 delivered the judgment on Wednesday, convicting Afekafe on two counts of armed robbery and culpable homicide, offences punishable under Sections 221 and 298 of the Penal Code.
The court heard that Dr. Adefolalu was brutally murdered on October 28, 2023, just 26 days after Afekafe began working as a housemaid in her home in Gbaiko, Minna. According to court findings, the teenager conspired with two accomplices—identified as DJ Wallex and DJ Smart, who remain at large—to attack and kill the lecturer after she was dismissed from her position for stealing.
In her ruling, Justice Mohammed stated that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. "The death of Dr. Mrs. Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu was caused by the convict with her friends, now at large, when they used knives to stab her several times and eventually hit her with a wooden stool to kill her," the judge declared.
Evidence presented in court revealed that the convict, who was introduced to the household by a local pastor, confessed during interrogation that she plotted revenge after being fired. She and her accomplices gained entry to the home, attacked the lecturer with knives, and used a wooden stool to deliver the fatal blow. They also stole two phones, a laptop, and foreign currencies from the residence.
Justice Mohammed handed down the life sentence after a two-hour ruling, bringing to a close one of the state's most shocking homicide cases in recent years. The judgment has drawn significant attention across Niger State, particularly within academic circles at FUT Minna, where Dr. Adefolalu was a respected faculty member.
The case highlights growing concerns about security and the importance of thorough background checks when employing domestic staff. Authorities continue to search for the two accomplices who participated in the heinous crime.
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