The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin has upheld the death sentence imposed on Abdulrahman Bello, an Islamic cleric, for the murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a student of the Kwara State College of Education. The appellate court dismissed Bello's appeal and affirmed the judgment of the lower court.
Court Ruling
In a judgment delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, the court held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Bello committed the offence of murder and was also guilty of unlawful possession of human parts. The court ruled that the trial court properly evaluated the evidence and arrived at the correct conclusion, leaving no basis to interfere with either the conviction or the sentence.
"The appeal lacks merit," the court held, affirming Bello's conviction and the sentence of death by hanging handed down by the trial court.
Details of the Crime
Bello was convicted for the gruesome killing of Lawal, who was reportedly his girlfriend in 2025. Prosecutors alleged that he murdered the student, dismembered her body, and kept parts of her remains for suspected money ritual purposes. The prosecution team was led by the Attorney General of Kwara State, Ibrahim Sulyman, alongside Chief State Counsel Issa Zakari and Assistant Chief State Counsel B.L. Abdulsalam of the Kwara State Ministry of Justice.
Arrest and Discovery
Bello was arrested for allegedly killing the student for ritual purposes. The suspect reportedly lured Lawal after connecting with her on Facebook and obtaining her phone number. It was gathered that Hafsoh was attending a naming ceremony on Monday, February 10, 2025, when she received a phone call from a friend. However, she left her food to answer the call and then disappeared.
Family members and friends searched for her in vain before reporting her disappearance to the police at the Oja Oba Station in Ilorin the following day. Police investigators used her phone records to trace her last call, leading them to Bello, who resides in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin.
Suspect's Defense
The suspect denied any involvement in the disappearance. However, a search of his residence led to the shocking discovery of Hafsoh's dismembered body in a bowl, along with tools suspected to have been used in the gruesome act. Bello claimed that Hafsoh had died from an asthma attack after visiting his residence. However, the evidence found at the scene, including a table equipped with dismemberment tools, suggests this may not be his first crime.
