Suspect With Slain Female Lecturer’s Phone, Arrested

Suspect With Slain Female Lecturer’s Phone, Arrested

Niger State Police Command has arrested seven suspects for various offences including a juvenile for alleged culpable homicide.

Also arrested is one Mohammed Abubakar who was found with the phone of Dr Funmilola Adefolalu, a university lecturer murdered last year in which the housemaid, Joy Afekafe, was arrested and prosecuted.

Until her murder on Saturday, October 28, 2023, Adefolalu was an associate professor, Department of Biochemistry at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State.

She was found the next day Sunday dead in her room in the Gbaiko area of Minna.

The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun said police operatives attached to Bosso Division arrested one Yakubu Tanko, 19 years, of Tudun-Fulani area of Minna for alleged culpable homicide of one Sikiru Tajudeen, 14 years of age, of the same area.

He said on the same day, the deceased was reported missing at Bosso Division, his school uniform trouser, a stick and a stone were found with suspected blood stains in his room and information received from the community indicated that a strange odour was being perceived from a septic tank within the community.

After a proper check by the police, a tied sack was found in the tank, evacuated and discovered to be the lifeless body of Tajudeen.

“Further findings from the community pointed to Yakubu Tanko and he was immediately arrested. During interrogation, he confessed to the homicide of the deceased who was his friend. He stated that he met Sikiru in the room while sleeping and he picked a stick from the kitchen, which he used to hit the deceased on the head.

He said blood gushed out and he left the scene immediately,” he said.

Similarly, he said in furtherance to the commitment of the Niger State Police Command to stem the tide of crime and criminality, a suspect was arrested in Mandela area of Minna with three locally fabricated AK-47 rifles during an attempt to sell one of the rifles.

He said in the course of investigation, the suspect led the police team to a residence within Mandela area, where he claimed he was working as a guard and two other rifles were recovered from the premises where he hid them and confessed that he was a welder at Kuta and that he had been working with one Bala who is at large, and that the said Bala specialised in carving the wooden parts of the rifles, while he fabricated the iron parts.

Also based on information received, the PPRO said police operatives attached to Zungeru Division with vigilante members arrested Mohammed Abdullahi Chumo, Aliyu Salihu and Arzika Ahmadu and during interrogation, the suspects confessed to have conspired and rustled 132 rams from two victims who were grazing the rams around Manigi area of Mashegu.