By Muhammad Mamman
In a gripping verdict, the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, presided over by Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi, has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a 24-year-old final-year student at Kwara State College of Education. The ruling, delivered on Thursday after a four-month trial, brings closure to a chilling case that has gripped the nation.
Bello, a self-proclaimed Islamic cleric, confessed to luring Lawal, his Facebook lover, to his residence near Offa Garage on February 13, 2025, under the pretense of a casual visit. In a horrifying revelation, he admitted to killing her for a money ritual, claiming he needed human hands for the act. Bello’s conflicting accounts—first alleging he choked Lawal after bouts of sex, then claiming she died of asthma—failed to sway the court, which found him guilty of her gruesome murder and dismemberment.
Four other suspects—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, 41; Suleiman Muyideen, 28; Jamiu Uthman, 29; and Abdulrahmon Jamiu, 31—were acquitted and discharged, leaving Bello to face the full weight of justice alone. The tragic loss of Lawal, who was attending a friend’s naming ceremony before her untimely death, has sparked widespread outrage and calls for justice.
This landmark ruling underscores the judiciary’s firm stance against heinous crimes, delivering a powerful message against ritual killings in Nigeria.
