THE Niger State Police Command has arrested Joy Afekafe, the alleged prime suspect in the killing of Dr Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer with the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna.
The Command in a statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Wasiu Abiodun stated that Miss Joy Afekafe confessed to taking part in the murder of the university don.
According to DSP Abiodun, in the course of investigation, the police arrested the deceased’s housemaid, 14-year-old Afekafe of Gbeganu, Minna on 30 October 2023 at about 9:00 p.m.
The PPRO said that during interrogation, the suspect confessed that she served as the deceased’s housemaid for about three weeks, adding that she was laid off following her misdeed in the house.
He stated that after she was laid off, she narrated her ordeal to her classmates Walex and Smart and they conspired to attack the lecturer at her residence.
He explained that they went to the residence on 28 September at about 4:00 p.m., with a motorcycle and she surfaced at the gate, while the lecturer opened the gate for her.
The PPRO said that 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 deceased’s kitchen, and stabbed her severally.
He said that the suspects also stole the deceased’s phone, laptop and the battery of a car parked in the compound and fled the scene.
Abiodun said that the suspect would be transferred to the State Crime Investigation Department for further investigation and diligent prosecution, while effort is ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects.
DSP Abiodun stated that Walex and Smart allegedly connected with the crime were at large, adding that effort was ongoing to apprehend them.
It will be recalled that on 29 October, 2023 at about 10:00 a.m., some friends and church members of Adefolalu, visited her residence in the Gbaiko area of Minna following their inability to get her on the telephone.
Unfortunately, on getting to the house, the visitors met her lying in a pool of blood with marks of injury on her body.
Police operatives attached to the Bosso Division visited the scene and two knives with blood stains suspected to have been used to stab her by unknown person(s) were recovered from the scene.
She was taken to the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialist (IBB) Hospital, Minna where she was confirmed dead.
Eighteen-Eleven Media