Court Sentences 16-year-old Nigerian Girl To Life Imprisonment

A sixteen-year-old girl identified as Miss Joy Afekafe has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a lecturer of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State.

In 2023, the Niger State Police Command arrested Joy after an investigation revealed she carried out the attack with her classmates Walex and Smart, who are still at large.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said, “Police operatives attached to Bosso Division visited the scene and two bloodstained knives suspected to have been used to stab her by an unknown person(s) were recovered from the scene. The body was taken to the IBB Hospital, Minna, where she was confirmed dead.”

Abiodun added, “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.

“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

Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Mohammed Adishetu Mohammed of Minna High Court No. 4 ruled: “On the whole and for all the reasons stated in this judgment, I hold that the prosecution was able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Dr Mrs Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu is dead.

“That the death of Dr Mrs Funmilayo Sherifat Adefolalu was caused by the convict with her friends, now at large, when they used knives to stab her severally and eventually hit her with a wooden stool with the intention to kill her.

“From the evidence before me, I’m satisfied that the prosecution has proved the offences of culpable homicide punishable with death and armed robbery against the convict.”

Justice Mohammed noted that, “Although she is now 16 years old, by the provisions of Section 221 of the Penal Code, Laws of Niger State 1989, whosoever is found guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death shall be sentenced to death by a method prescribed by the trial judge.”

However, 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.”