A Minna High Court has sentenced a 16-year-old girl, Joy Afekafe, to life imprisonment after finding her guilty of the murder of Dr Mrs Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna.
Delivering judgment in the case on Tuesday, Justice Mohammed Adishetu Mohammed held that the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the teenager, along with two accomplices still at large, committed the offence of culpable homicide and armed robbery on October 28 2023.
The court was told that the convict had worked as a domestic helper in the late lecturer’s home but was dismissed after she was discovered stealing. She later returned with the accomplices, who reportedly stabbed the victim and struck her with a wooden stool, leading to her death. Items including mobile phones, a laptop, and foreign currency were taken from the scene.
The offence was committed when the convict was 14 years old. In line with Section 221 of the Penal Code and child justice provisions, the court substituted a death sentence with life imprisonment and handed down a separate 10-year sentence for armed robbery.
Justice Mohammed stated, “Where the convict is less than 18 years old at the time of the offence, a sentence of death shall not be pronounced or recorded. Instead, the court shall sentence the person to life custodial or to such other terms.”
The case drew attention to broader concerns around juvenile justice, domestic employment practices, and the security of academic staff across institutions.
