A High Court in Minna has sentenced 16-year-old Joy Afekafe to life imprisonment for her role in the 2023 robbery and murder of Dr. Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT).
Afekafe, who was 14 at the time of the incident, had worked as a housemaid for the victim but was dismissed after being caught stealing.
Following her dismissal, she conspired with two accomplices—known as DJ Wallex and DJ Smart—to carry out a deadly attack at the lecturer’s residence in Gbaiko, Niger State, in October 2023.
Her confession and supporting evidence presented in court were key to securing a conviction. While the severity of the crime could have warranted a death sentence, Nigerian law prohibits capital punishment for minors. She was instead handed a life sentence.
The two accomplices remain at large, and authorities say investigations are ongoing to locate and apprehend them.
