After four months of legal proceedings, the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, presided over by Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi, has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a 24-year-old final-year student at the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.
In the judgment delivered on Thursday, the court acquitted and discharged four co-defendants—Ahmed Abdulwasiu (41), Suleiman Muyideen (28), Jamiu Uthman (29), and Abdulrahmon Jamiu (31)—citing insufficient evidence linking them to the crime.
Bello had previously confessed to the murder, admitting that he killed Hafsoh Lawal, whom he met on Facebook, for ritual purposes. Claiming to be an Islamic cleric, he stated that he acted alone in the crime, saying he needed human body parts for a money ritual. He expressed regret, telling the court that he might have chosen a different path if he had known of an alternative method to achieve his aim.
The incident occurred on February 13, 2025, when Lawal attended a naming ceremony in Ilorin. Bello lured her to his residence near the Offa Garage area under the pretense of a visit. During the trial, Bello gave conflicting accounts of the events: in one, he admitted to strangling her after engaging in sexual activity; in another, he claimed she died from an asthma attack, and he dismembered the body out of panic.
Further details are expected to follow as the case develops.
