A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the brutal murder of 24-year-old Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education.
Justice Hannah Ajayi delivered the verdict on Thursday, marking the end of a four-month-long trial.
Bello, who described himself as an Islamic cleric, was found guilty of the killing, which reportedly took place after he lured the victim—whom he met on Facebook—to his residence under the pretext of a visit.
The court acquitted and discharged four others initially charged alongside Bello: Ahmed Abdulwasiu (41), Suleiman Muyideen (28), Jamiu Uthman (29), and Abdulrahmon Jamiu (31).
At the start of the trial, Bello openly admitted to the crime, stating he committed the murder for ritual purposes. “He needed human hands for the purpose,” he confessed, adding that he acted alone.
The incident occurred on February 13, 2025, when Lawal attended a friend’s naming ceremony and was subsequently invited by Bello to his residence in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
Throughout the proceedings, Bello gave conflicting accounts of what transpired. Initially, he claimed he strangled Lawal to death after engaging in multiple rounds of sex, and later dismembered her body. However, he later changed his story, saying, “She died of an asthma attack and that he dismembered the body out of fear.”
