14-year-old house-help arrested over alleged murder of FUTMinna lecturer

Men of the Niger State Police Command have arrested a 14-year-old househelp, Joy Afekafe, over the alleged killing of her boss, Dr Olufunmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology Minna.

In a statement released, the spokesperson of the command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said police investigation showed that the househelp carried out the attack with her classmates, Walex and Smart who are on the run.

LIB had over the weekend reported that the deceased was found dead in her apartment by some friends and church members who visited her residence in Gbaiko Area of Minna on October 29 after she failed to show up for service. They met her lying in a pool of blood with marks of injury on her body.

In the statement released today October 31, Abiodun said;

“Police operatives attached to Bosso Division visited the scene and two bloodstained knives suspected to have been used to stab her by unknown person(s) were recovered from the scene. The body was taken to the IBB Hospital, Minna where she was confirmed dead.”

According to the police, an investigation led to the arrest of the deceased’s housemaid, Afekafe, on October 30, 2023, around 9pm at a residence within Gbeganu area of Minna.

 “During interrogation, the suspect confessed that she served as the deceased’s housemaid for about three weeks, and she was laid off due to her misdeed in the house. After she was laid off, she met her classmates called Walex and Smart, narrated her ordeal to them and conspired to attack the lecturer at her residence. Afekafe said they went to the lecturer’s residence on October 28, 2023, around 1600hrs, with a motorcycle and she surfaced at the gate, while the lecturer opened the gate for her.

Walex and Smart later entered, beat and hit the lecturer’s head with a stool and stabbed her with a knife brought by Walex while Smart took another knife from the kitchen, and stabbed her severally.”

She (Afekafe) said the deceased’s phone and laptop were taken away, while they also removed the battery of the vehicle parked in the compound and fled the scene.

The suspect will be transferred to SCID for further investigation and diligent prosecution, while effort is ongoing to arrest the fleeing other suspects.” he said