Hafsoh’s death: Suspect confesses to dismembering body of deceased student

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

Abdulrahman Bello, the prime suspect in the murder of a final-year female student of Kwara State College of Education, Hafsoh Lawal, has explained in court that he alone dismembered the deceased’s body after consuming alcohol. Testifying before Justice Hannah Ajayi of the State High Court on Wednesday, Abdulrahman opened his defence by denying the involvement of his co-defendants in the incident.

He told the court that he used a knife and a cutlass, which police found in his two-room apartment in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, to cut the deceased’s body into parts. However, he denied killing her, claiming that Hafsoh died from an asthma attack during sexual intercourse.

“I went out to get an inhaler for her when I noticed she was gasping. By the time I returned, she had died. I then left to take alcohol and came back to cut the body into pieces,” he said.

During cross-examination by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Abdulrahman admitted that he did not call any neighbours or report the incident to the police or take the body to a hospital because he was afraid of the deceased’s father. The DPP also suggested that the blood and human parts found in his apartment had been preserved in alcohol, as they had not decomposed after five days.

Abdulrahman denied keeping the blood and body parts for money-making rituals and expressed deep regret for his actions. “I am deeply sad about what happened,” he said. He insisted that he did not kill Hafsoh and said he loved her, describing her as exceptional. “She cared for my life. She motivated me to take the 2024 NABTEB examination and to register for JAMB. I can never meet anyone like her,” he told the court.

He further claimed that police tortured him into confessing on video that he poisoned the deceased’s food and strangled her to death. All four co-defendants also denied any knowledge of the killing when they testified.

The defence counsels jointly requested seven days to file their written addresses, while the prosecution asked for ten days to file theirs after the defence had submitted. Justice Hannah Ajayi granted the requests and adjourned the matter to July 2, 2025, for the final adoption of the addresses.