In a devastating case that has gripped Kwara State, the High Court in Ilorin today handed down a death-by-hanging sentence to 25-year-old Abdulrahman Bello for the ritualistic murder of 24-year-old Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student at the Kwara State College of Education. Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi delivered the judgment after finding Bello guilty on counts of murder and desecration of a corpse, concluding that he lured the victim to his residence under the pretense of marriage before killing her for human body parts used in money rituals .
During the proceedings, the court heard graphic evidence that Bello had dismembered Hafsoh’s body shortly after her disappearance on August 9, 2024. Prosecuting counsel Idowu Akande presented phone records, witness testimony and Bello’s own confession—recorded on video—as proof of his motive and method. Justice Ajayi described the killing as “cruel, wicked and an extreme display of human wickedness,” underscoring the callous manner in which the defendant violated the sanctity of life for ritual gain .
Four co-defendants—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen and Abdulrahman Jamiu—were discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence linking them to the crime. The judge dismissed the prosecution’s case against them, noting that no tangible proof placed them at the scene or in possession of incriminating materials.
The sentence drew mixed reactions: human-rights advocates have renewed calls for the abolition of the death penalty in Nigeria, while many in Kwara State hailed the ruling as a necessary deterrent against ritual killings. In a statement released via Channels Television’s official Twitter account, the family of the late student thanked the judiciary for “upholding the rule of law” and urged the state government to ensure the execution of the sentence once all appeals are exhausted.
Abdulrahman Bello will remain in custody on death row as his lawyers prepare to file notices of appeal. Meanwhile, the case has reignited public debate over Nigeria’s capital-punishment laws and the persistent scourge of money-ritual murders in the country.
Sign up here with your email
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon