The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the College of Education, Ilorin.
In her judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice Hannah Ajayi found Bello guilty of the gruesome killing, describing it as a calculated act driven by an intent to use the victim for money rituals and human spare parts trade.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted four other co-defendants — Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu — clearing them of any complicity in the crime.
Justice Ajayi, while reading her verdict, noted that the evidence presented before the court showed that Bello had lured the victim to his residence under the false pretense of love and marriage. Once she arrived, he had sexual intercourse with her before killing and dismembering her body.
The incident occurred on February 10, 2025, at the Olunlade area of Ilorin. Upon arrest and interrogation, police discovered the palm of the deceased, a bottle filled with blood, and other personal effects of the victim in Bello’s room. A cutlass used in the dismemberment was also recovered. Additional decomposed body parts were later found at a nearby dumpsite.
The court concluded that Bello acted alone and sentenced him to death by hanging, bringing to an end a case that had shocked the local community and drawn widespread condemnation.
