A High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, has sentenced an Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, to death by hanging over the ritual killing of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education.
According to BsgistNews, we gathered that the judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi, who found Bello guilty beyond reasonable doubt. The court confirmed that he lured Hafsoh to his residence under the guise of a romantic relationship, where he murdered and dismembered her body with the intent to use her for money rituals.
The disturbing crime occurred on February 10, 2024, after Hafsoh reportedly left a naming ceremony following a call from Bello. Her sudden disappearance prompted a search by her family, and days later, police traced her mobile phone to the cleric’s residence, where her dismembered remains were eventually discovered.
During trial proceedings, Bello confessed to being in a romantic relationship with Hafsoh, whom he had met on Facebook. Though he initially claimed she died of an asthma attack following sexual intercourse, he later admitted in court that he strangled her and carried out the dismemberment alone.
BsgistNews further gathered that four other men who had earlier stood trial alongside Bello identified as Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muyideen, Jamiu Uthman, and Abdulrahmon Jamiu were discharged and acquitted due to insufficient evidence linking them to the murder.
Hafsoh, described as the eldest child in her family, was weeks away from her graduation when her life was brutally cut short.
Justice Ajayi, in her ruling, condemned the act and sentenced Bello to death by hanging, marking a tragic but resolute end to a deeply shocking case.
