Police Arrest Prime Suspect Of Murdered FUT Minna Lecturer

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 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 October 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 September 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 September 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

Retired Benue Judge’s Murder: Nephew, Driver, Two Others Paraded As Suspects

The police have apprehended four suspects linked to the brutal murder of retired President of the Benue State Customary Court, Justice Margaret Igbetar, 72, who was tragically killed in her residence on Wantor Kwange Street in Makurdi metropolis on August 24, 2023. At a press briefing held at the command headquarters in Makurdi on Tuesday, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Nnamdi Onyeka, revealed that one of the suspects, Aondohemba Joseph, who is the deceased’s nephew, had confessed to colluding with three other individuals to carry out the murder. CP Onyeka stated, “You will recall that on 24th August 2023, a case of Culpable Homicide involving the late Justice Margaret Mary Igbetar (RTD) was reported, and I had promised to ensure that justice is served. One Aondohemba Joseph, a nephew of the deceased, was arrested immediately.” He further elaborated, “A more detailed and advanced investigation started when the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and handed over to the Operation Zenda investigative team to continue.” The investigation led to the apprehension of additional suspects. Igbazenda Gbidye, aged 63, and Dzungwenen Ukor, aged 40, were arrested in Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area. These suspects confessed to being recruited by Aondohemba Joseph, who had claimed that his deceased father had left substantial property in the hands of his aunt (the deceased), and she had allegedly refused to transfer the said property to him. The group conspired to eliminate her so that Aondohemba could gain control of the property. Furthermore, Akuhwa Barnabas, aged 32, who worked as a driver for the deceased, was arrested and corroborated the suspects’ statements. He admitted to facilitating the gang’s access to the house and providing assistance during the commission of the crime. CP Onyeka expressed his gratitude to the people of Benue state for their patience and cooperation on the matter, whilst reassuring the community that the police would continue their efforts to combat crime in the state.