By Kamil Opeyemi
The Police Command in Niger says it has arrested Joy Afekafe, the prime suspect in the killing of Dr Funmilola Adefolalu, a lecturer with the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna.
This is contained in a statement in Minna on Tuesday by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Wasiu Abiodun.
Abiodun stated that two other suspects connected to the crime were at large, adding that effort was ongoing to apprehend them.
He recalled that on Oct. 29, 2023 at about 10:00 a.m., some friends and church members of Adefolalu, visited her residence in Gbaiko area of Minna following their inability to get her on 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 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,” Abiodun said.
He noted that during investigation, the police arrested the deceased’s housemaid, 14-year-old Afekafe of Gbeganu, Minna on Sept. 30 at about 9:00p.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 due to her misdeed in the house.
He stated that after she was laid off, she
narrated her ordeal to her classmates called Walex and Smart and they conspired to attack the lecturer at her residence.
He explained that they went to the residence on Sept. 28 at about 4:00p.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 stood 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 State Crime Investigation Department for further investigation and diligent prosecution, while effort is ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects.