The prime suspect in the murder of Dr Mrs Funmilola Adefolalu, a female lecturer of the Federal University of Technology Minna (FUT Minna) has been arrested by the police and identified as the former housemaid to the deceased, Joy Afekafe.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun stated this Tuesday in a statement issued in Minna.
According to the PPRO, Joy Afekafe had narrated to the police how she conspired with two other friends to slaughter the deceased in her residence at about 1600hrs on 28/10/2023.
He said, “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. Unfortunately, on getting to the house, the visitors met her lying in a pool of blood with marks of injury on her body”.
DSP Abiodun explained that Police Operatives attached to Bosso Div 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, adding that the body was taken to IBB Hospital, Minna where she was confirmed dead.
“However, the Police Division swung into action and carried out 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 of Gbeganu, Minna on 30/10/2023 at about 2100hrs at a residence within Gbeganu area of Minna,” he said.
The PPRO said during interrogation, the suspect 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.
According to the police, the suspect also confessed that after she was laid off, she met her classmates called Walex and Smart, narrated her ordeal to them and conspired to attack the lecturer at her residence.
“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 stool and stabbed her with a knife brought by Walex while Smart took another knife from the kitchen, and stabbed her severally,” the suspect told the police.
She said the deceased’s phone and laptop were taken away while they also removed the battery of the vehicle parked in the compound and fled the scene.
DSP Abiodun said that the suspect will be transferred to SCID for further investigation and diligent prosecution, while effort was ongoing to arrest the fleeing other suspects.