The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the brutal killing of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the College of Education, Ilorin. The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Hannah Ajayi, marked the conclusion of a high-profile case that has gripped Kwara State since February.
Justice Ajayi, in her ruling, described the murder as “cruel, wicked, and an extreme display of human depravity.” The court found that Bello lured his victim under the guise of love and marriage, only to gruesomely end her life for ritual purposes.
While Bello was handed the maximum penalty, the court acquitted four other co-defendants — Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu — citing lack of evidence linking them to the crime.
According to court records, the crime occurred on February 10, 2025, at Olunlade, Ilorin. Hafsoh was invited to Bello’s residence, where she was reportedly killed and dismembered after the pair had been intimate.
During police investigations, shocking discoveries were made in Bello’s room from the palm of the deceased, a bottle filled with blood, several personal belongings of the victim, and a cutlass, suspected to have been used in dismembering her body.
Further investigations led to the recovery of other decomposed body parts at a nearby dumpsite, confirming fears that the killing was ritualistically motivated.
Justice Ajayi noted that Bello’s repeated claims of intending to marry the deceased were calculated lies to gain her trust and lure her into a fatal trap.
“The accused displayed an unimaginable level of wickedness. The prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the deceased was murdered for the purpose of ritual and human part trading,” the judge declared.
Consequently, Bello was sentenced to death by hanging, a ruling that drew emotional reactions from both the victim’s family and the public gallery.
Speaking shortly after the verdict, a family representative of the late Hafsoh expressed both relief and sorrow:
“Justice has been served today, but nothing can bring back our daughter. We hope this will deter others from committing such heinous acts.”
