ILORIN, Kwara State – The father of Yetunde Hafsat, a 300-level student at the Kwara State College of Education who was allegedly murdered by her Facebook friend, AbdulRahman Bello, for ritual purposes, is demanding justice for his daughter.
Bello, 25, who resides in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin, is accused of killing Hafsat after meeting her on Facebook. Her disappearance on February 10, 2025, after leaving a naming ceremony to meet him, led to a police investigation and the subsequent discovery of her dismembered remains.
Mr. Ibrahim Lawal Adefalu, Hafsat’s father, told Daily Trust that he identified his daughter’s severed hands by the henna (lalle) design she had on them. “We saw her slippers and other items in the suspect’s house. It was the ‘lalle’ in the hands we saw inside a pot that revealed she was Hasfat,” he said. He explained that she had the henna applied for a naming ceremony she attended shortly before her death.
Mr. Adefalu also revealed that Hafsat was engaged to a man named Lukman, who had joined the family in the search for her. He stressed the family’s desire for justice, hoping it will serve as a deterrent and bring peace to the community.
The police have confirmed the arrest of Bello and provided further details of the gruesome crime. According to Police Public Relations Officer Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the suspect confessed to the killing during interrogation. A search of his residence uncovered the victim’s belongings, dismembered body parts, a container of her blood, and various weapons and charms, which the suspect admitted were intended for money rituals.
The police statement corroborated earlier reports that Hafsat and Bello met on Facebook. He reportedly obtained her phone number under false pretenses and lured her to his home. Initially, Bello denied any knowledge of her whereabouts, claiming she had visited him and died of an asthma attack. He is reportedly the son of a prominent, recently deceased cleric from Isalekoto.
Kwara Student’s Dismembered Remains Identified by Henna, Father Says
