A Minna High Court sitting under Justice Mohammed Adishetu Mohammed on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, has sentenced 17-year old Joy Afekafe to life imprisonment following her involvement in the murder of an FUT lecturer.
The deceased, Adefolalu was a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Niger State before she was m8rdered on 28 October 2023 at her residence in Gbaiko area of Minna where the teenager served her.
The teenager had served the late Dr from 2 October 2023.
According to the report, Joy was introduced to the lecturer as her maid by Pastor Ojo Peters of the Voice of Mercy Church, Minna, and the deceased was present alongside Joy’s mother.
However, it was said that Joy began stealing property and foreign currency from Dr Adefolalu which prompted her dismissal from her role.
Unfortunately, Joy was not happy to have been dismissed which led to her teaming up with her two friends; as DJ Wallex and DJ Smart, to retaliate.
In her confession to officers of the Homicide Squad, State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Niger State Police Command, the teenager narrated how her accomplices who are still on the run stabbed her former boss multiple times with knives.
She also added that the victim tried to defend herself with a stool before they overpowered her, seized the stool, and struck her on the head, leading to her immediate death.
She narrated that they stole two mobile phones, a laptop, and foreign currency from her bedroom before escaping.
During the court sitting, Justice Mohammed passed judgement after the prosecution, according to the court, established their charges beyond every reasonable doubt.
Therefore, Joy was found guilty of the two-count charges of armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable which contravened Sections 221 and 298 of the Penal Code.
“On the whole and for all the reasons stated in this judgment, I hold that the prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that: Dr Mrs Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu is dead.
“That the d3ath of Dr Mrs Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu was caused by the convict with her friends, now at large, when they used knives to stab her severally and eventually hit her with a wooden stool with the intention to k!ll her,” the judge ruled.
