A High Court in Minna, Niger State, has sentenced a teenage girl, Joy Afekafe, to life imprisonment for the murder of a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday, July 10, 2025, by Justice Mohammed Adishetu Mohammed of Court No. 4. Joy, who was 14 years old when the crime occurred, was found guilty of killing Dr. Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu at her home in the Gbaiko area of Minna on October 28, 2023.
The court heard that Joy had previously worked briefly as a housemaid for the late lecturer but was dismissed after being caught stealing. She had been introduced to the household by a pastor from the church her mother and the deceased both attended.
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After her dismissal, Joy conspired with two others—identified as DJ Wallex and DJ Smart—to attack the lecturer. In her confession, Joy said they entered the house, stabbed the lecturer repeatedly, and struck her on the head with a stool when she tried to resist. They then stole two phones, a laptop, and some foreign currency before fleeing. The two accomplices are still at large.
Joy was convicted of culpable homicide and armed robbery. While the offenses typically carry the death penalty under Section 221 of the Penal Code, the judge noted that since she was a minor at the time of the crime, she could not be sentenced to death.
Instead, the court handed her a life sentence for homicide and 10 years for robbery. She will serve both terms concurrently in a custodial centre.
