A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, Hafsoh Lawal (also known as Adefalu Hasfat Yetunde).
Delivering judgment in the widely followed case, Justice Hannah Ajayi condemned Bello’s actions, describing the killing as the “highest degree of human wickedness.”
The court found him guilty of murder and other related offenses, while four other defendants—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muyideen, Jamiu Uthman, and Abdulrahmon Jamiu—were discharged and acquitted due to insufficient evidence linking them to the crime.
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Bello and the co-accused were initially arraigned on February 18, 2025, at an Ilorin Magistrate’s Court on a three-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, unlawful possession of human parts, and armed robbery.
These charges violated several laws, including Sections 97 and 221 of the Penal Code, Section 2 of the Kwara State Prohibition of Dealing in Human Parts Law 2018, and Section 1(2) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, CAP R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
According to the Police First Information Report (FIR), Bello, who claimed to be a cleric, confessed during police interrogation to killing Hafsoh for ritual purposes.
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His arrest followed a report made by the victim’s father, Adefalu Lawal Ibrahim, who told the police that his daughter left home on February 10, 2025, to attend a friend’s naming ceremony but never returned.
After tracking Hafsoh’s phone, police traced it to Bello’s residence in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, leading to his arrest. During the investigation, Bello admitted to the killing and led officers to locations where dismembered parts of the victim’s body were recovered—some hidden in his house, others dumped elsewhere.
The investigation also revealed that Bello had robbed the deceased of her jewelry and valuables, which were later found in his room. His confession indicated he acted with knowledge of the other suspects, allegedly as part of an occult group, though the court found no concrete evidence to convict the co-accused.