The convict, Abdulrahman Bello was sentenced to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student at the College of Education, Ilorin.
In a landmark ruling, the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has condemned Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student at the College of Education, Ilorin.
Justice Hannah Ajayi, delivering the verdict on Thursday, acquitted four other defendants—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu—finding no evidence linking them to the crime.
The court established that Bello lured Hafsoh to his residence under the pretense of a romantic relationship, only to kill her in a horrific act tied to money rituals and human parts trafficking.
Justice Ajayi described the murder as a chilling display of cruelty, dismissing Bello’s claims of love and marriage intentions as deceitful fabrications.
The crime, committed on February 10, 2025, in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, involved Bello dismembering Hafsoh’s body after her death. Investigations uncovered damning evidence in his room, including the victim’s severed palm, a bottle containing blood, her personal belongings, and a cutlass used in the act. Additional remains of Hafsoh’s decomposed body were later discovered at a nearby dumpsite.
While Bello faces execution, the four co-defendants were cleared of all charges and released.
