Final-Year Student’s Murder: Kwara Court Sentences Islamic Cleric to Death by Hanging

 

The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of Tetundeh Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the College of Education, Ilorin.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Hannah Ajayi described the act as “cruel, wicked, and an extreme display of human wickedness.”

The offence was committed on February 10, 2025, in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, where Bello lured the victim — his girlfriend — to his residence under the pretext of love and an intention to marry her. There, he sexually assaulted, murdered, and dismembered her body for alleged ritual purpose

Bello was charged alongside four other defendants: Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu. However, Justice Ajayi discharged and acquitted all four, ruling that there was no credible evidence linking them to the murder or any form of complicity.

“They have no case to answer,” the judge ruled, emphasizing that the prosecution failed to establish their involvement beyond reasonable doubt.

The court heard that after killing Hafsoh Lawal, Bello dismembered her body in his room. A cutlass, a bottle filled with blood, and the severed palm of the victim were found during a police search of his home. Additional decomposing body parts were discovered at a nearby dumpsite.

According to investigators, the crime was premeditated and driven by a motive to engage in money rituals and illicit trade in human body parts.

Justice Ajayi dismissed Bello’s claim that he loved the victim and intended to marry her, calling his confession “a calculated lie to lure her to her death.”

The judge sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging, marking the end of a highly emotional trial that sparked public outrage across Kwara State.

This tragic case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of ritual killings and the urgent need for stronger awareness and justice system interventions.