A Minna High Court 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. The tragic incident, which took place in 2023 when Joy was just 14 years old, involved the victim being stabbed multiple times and fatally struck with a wooden stool.
Delivering the verdict on Wednesday, Justice Mohammed Adishetu Mohammed of Minna High Court No. 4 declared that the prosecution had successfully established, beyond reasonable doubt, that Dr. Adefolalu was killed by the defendant in collaboration with two others who remain at large.
“The evidence presented confirms that the convict and her accomplices, using knives and a wooden stool, intentionally caused the death of the deceased,” the judge stated.
Justice Mohammed noted that although Section 221 of the Penal Code prescribes a death sentence for culpable homicide, the law prohibits imposing capital punishment on individuals under 18 years of age at the time of the crime. Instead, the court sentenced Joy to life imprisonment for homicide and an additional 10 years for armed robbery.
According to investigations by the Niger State Police Command, Joy was previously employed as a domestic worker in the home of Dr. Adefolalu. She was dismissed after three weeks due to misconduct. After her dismissal, she reportedly conspired with two classmates, identified only as Walex and Smart, to carry out the fatal attack.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed that officers from Bosso Division recovered two bloodstained knives from the crime scene. The victim was pronounced dead at the IBB Hospital in Minna.
During questioning, Joy allegedly admitted to her involvement, explaining that her dismissal from the lecturer’s home prompted her to seek revenge with the help of her two friends, who are currently on the run.
