Niger State: Police investigate murder of FUTMinna lecturer

The Niger State Police Command has initiated an investigation into the tragic killing of Mrs. Adefolalu Funmilola, a lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUTMinna), by unidentified individuals.

Reports indicate that the lecturer was fatally attacked in her residence in the Gbaiko area of Minna on Sunday. Mrs. Funmilola, an associate professor in the biochemistry department at the institution, was on the verge of a promotion to the rank of professor by the end of 2023.

According to the police spokesperson, on Sunday, October 29, 2023, around 10 a.m., some of Mrs. Adefolalu’s friends visited her home in Gbaiko due to her unresponsiveness on the phone. To their shock, they discovered her lying in a pool of blood with signs of injuries on her body.

Two blood-stained knives, believed to have been used by an unknown assailant, were found at the scene. Mrs. Funmilola’s lifeless body was taken to IBB Hospital in Minna, where she was officially declared deceased. The unfortunate incident is currently under investigation.

Bolarin Gbolahan, the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at FUTF Minna, confirmed the incident and expressed his concern over the rising attacks on academics. He described these attacks as unprecedented and attributed them to the prevailing insecurity in the nation, which he believes is a consequence of systemic failures.