By Ghazali Ibrahim
A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the College of Education, Ilorin.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Hannah Ajayi described the crime as “cruel, wicked, and an extreme display of inhumanity,” stating that evidence clearly showed the killing was premeditated and intended for ritual purposes.
Bello had lured Hafsoh whom he falsely claimed to love into his residence at the Olunlade area on February 10, 2025, where he murdered and dismembered her after sexual intercourse.
During a police search, her severed palm, a bottle filled with blood, and personal items were found in Bello’s room. A bloodstained cutlass believed to have been used in the dismemberment was also recovered.
Other decomposing body parts were discovered at a nearby dumpsite.
Four other individuals—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu were acquitted and discharged for lack of evidence linking them to the crime.
The ruling brings an end to a high-profile case that has shocked residents and drawn widespread outrage, with many calling for stiffer penalties against ritual killings in Nigeria.
