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.
Justice Aishetu Mohammed of High Court No. 4 delivered the judgment on Wednesday, convicting the teenager on two counts—armed robbery and culpable homicide—offences punishable under Sections 221 and 298 of the Penal Code.
The court heard that Adefolalu was brutally murdered on October 28, 2023, just 26 days after Afekafe resumed work as a housemaid in the victim’s home located in the Gbaiko area of Minna.
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According to the court’s findings, Afekafe conspired with two male accomplices—identified as DJ Wallex and DJ Smart, both of whom remain at large—after she was dismissed from her role for allegedly stealing from the lecturer.
Justice Mohammed noted that the prosecution provided convincing evidence establishing the defendant’s guilt 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 stated.
The convict, who was introduced to the Adefolalu household by a local pastor, confessed during police interrogation that she orchestrated the attack in retaliation for her dismissal.
She and her accomplices invaded the home, fatally attacked the lecturer, and made away with two mobile phones, a laptop, and some foreign currency.
The judge delivered the life sentence following a two-hour ruling, marking the end of one of the most high-profile and disturbing homicide trials in Niger State in recent memory.
The two male accomplices remain on the run as police continue their search.