A 14-year-old girl identified as Joy Afekafe has been arrested by the police over her alleged involvement in the murder of a lecturer, Dr Mrs Fumilola Adefolalu.
Late Adefolalu who was a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, was gruesomly killed on Saturday, October 28, 2023. 14-year-old girl arrested over murder of FUT Minna lecturer.
Afekafe, who reportedly confessed to the crime while being paraded by the police on Tuesday, October 31, said that she had gone to the deceased’s house to confront and beat her up for sending her packing. It was gathered that Afekafe worked as a maid to the lecturer.
The suspect, who is an SS II Student of Day Secondary School, Gidan Kuka, said she went to the slain lecturer’s residence with two of her classmates whom she identified as Walex and Smart. She said they decided to kill the lecturer for fear that she would report their assault to the relevant authorities.
Afekafe confessed that Smart and Walex first hit the deceased with a stool before stabbing her with knives repeatedly.
She explained: “It was Walex who said that she would recognise us if we left her alive, so they started stabbing her with the knife we brought. I then struggled with the knife with them which made Smart enter her kitchen and take a knife there and they continued stabbing her. “They stabbed her in her stomach, her hands, her legs and she was just shouting ‘Jesus, Jesus’. “After all that, they took her phone and laptop and her car battery before we left the house in the motorcycle we came in.”
Joy said she had been living with the deceased for three weeks, adding that the deceased who was supposed to sponsor her education sent her packing because she could no longer bear her misdeeds.
The Niger State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abiodun Wasiu while parading the suspect, said that the police are on the trail of Walex and Smart.
Meanwhile, the Voice of Mercy Ministry, the church where Late Adefolalu worships, expressed its deep sadness and shock at “the tragic and senseless murder” of the lecturer.
The church commended the efforts of the law enforcement agencies while hoping that the arrest of the principal suspect would lead to the capture of other perpetrators. Voice of Mercy Ministry demanded that everyone involved in the murder of its pastor face the full wrath of the law.
The church’s request was conveyed in a statement signed by Pastor Bolaji Olanipekun, its Head of Media and Communication.
The statement partly reads: “We are seeking justice for her untimely and unjust demise. We trust that the law will ensure that those responsible for this horrific crime are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
“The loss of Pastor Dr Mrs Fumilola Adefolalu has left an indelible void within our church. Her unwavering faith, compassion, and dedication to serving others will always be remembered.”
