VAM News update
Niger State Police Command has arrested a 14-year-old girl identified as Joy Afekafe, a former housemaid to the slain female lecturer of the Federal University of Technology Minna, Dr (Mrs) Funmilola Sherifat Adefolalu.
Late Adefolalu’s corpse was found in a pool of her own blood at her Gbaiko residence on the outskirts of Minna, the State capital on Sunday by members of her church who had in conjunction with some residents of the community forced the door opened on their arrival at her home on the fateful Sunday afternoon.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun stated this in a press statement issued and made available to the newsmen on Tuesday in Minna, adding that the suspect’s arrest was effected on 30/10/2023 at about 2100hrs at a residence within Gbeganu area of Minna.
According to Abiodun, “On 29/10/2023 at about 1000hrs, some friends/Church members of one Dr. Mrs. Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer at FUT Minna visited her residence in Gbaiko Area of Minna due to inability to get her phone”, saying that, “Unfortunately, on getting to the house, the visitors met her lying in a pool of blood with marks of injury on her body”.
The statement added further that Police Operatives attached to Bosso Division of the state Police Command visited the scene and two knives with blood stains suspected to have been used to stab her( the deceased) by unknown person(s) were recovered from the scene, stressing that the body was taken to IBB Specialist Hospital, Minna where she was confirmed dead.
The statement added further that however, the Police Division swung into action and carried out a series of interviews from the neighborhood and friends of the family, while investigation led to the arrest of the deceased’s housemaid one Joy Afekafe ‘f’ aged 14yrs Gbeganu, Minna on 30/10/2023 at about 2100hrs at a residence within Gbeganu area of Minna.
It was further learned that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly 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.
Accordingly, after she was laid off, she was quoted to have said that she met her classmates called Walex and Smart, with whom she narrated her ordeals with her former employer (Dr (Mrs) Funmilola Adefolalu) and conspired to attack the Lecturer at her residence.
The statement reads in parts that: ” She said they went to the residence on 28/10/2023 at about 1600hrs, with a motorcycle and she surfaced at the gate, while the lecturer opened the gate for her.
“Walex and Smart later entered, beat the deceased, hit her head with a stand and stabbed her with a knife brought by Walex while Smart took another knife from the kitchen, and stabbed her severally.
“She said the deceased phone and laptop were taken away, while they also removed the battery of the vehicle parked in the compound and fled the scene.”
The PPRO, however, assured that the suspect would be transferred to SCID for further investigation and diligent prosecution, while effort was ongoing to arrest the fleeing other suspects.