A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello, an Islamic cleric, to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.
Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi, in a judgment on Thursday, found Bello guilty of killing Hafsoh, in her twenties, with the intent to use her body parts for money rituals.
The judge ruled that the evidence presented by the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Bello lured Hafsoh to his home under the guise of a romantic relationship, killed her, and dismembered her body for ritual purposes.
However, four other men who had stood trial alongside Bello including Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muyideen, Jamiu Uthman, and Abdulrahmon Jamiu, were discharged and acquitted after the court found no evidence linking them to the crime.
The incident occurred on February 10, after Hafsoh received a call from Bello while attending a friend’s naming ceremony. She was later declared missing by her family.
Her dismembered remains were discovered days later in Bello’s residence, following a police investigation that traced her mobile phone to him.
During the trial, Bello admitted being in a relationship with the victim, whom he met on Facebook, and confessed to killing her for ritual purposes.
He initially claimed she died of an asthma attack after rounds of sex, but later told the court he had choked her and dismembered her body alone.
Hafsoh, the first child of her family, was said to be preparing for graduation before her life was tragically cut short.
