On Tuesday, June 4, Abdulrahman Bello, a 29-year-old Islamic cleric, shocked a Kwara State courtroom when a video was presented showing him confessing to strangling 24-year-old Hafsoh Lawal to death during a sexual encounter.
The confession was revealed during a hearing before Judge Anna Olushoda Ajayi. Two key witnesses were present: Department of State Services (DSS) officer Ayodeji Joshua and Dr. Kunle Adebowale, Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).
Ayodeji submitted the damning video evidence in court, leaving the courtroom in great silence as folks present to witness the proceeding ruminated in the horrible death Hafsoh died.
The People’s Insight recalls that on February 10, 2025, Hafsoh, a final-year student of Kwara State College of Education in Ilorin, disappeared after attending a christening party.
While eating at the event, she received a phone call, stepped outside. Little did Hafsoh that the call would be her last call on earth.
Her father, Mr. Ibrahim A. Lawal, reported her missing the following day at the Oja Oba Police Division.
Police investigations quickly identified Abdulrahman as a suspect. Forensic analysis linked him to Hafsoh’s last known phone call. Initially, he denied knowing her, but a search of his home revealed a horrifying discovery: Hafsohโs dismembered body concealed inside a bowl.
Confronted with the evidence, Abdulrahman changed his story, claiming she died of an asthma attack at his residence.
However, investigators found tools at the scene suggesting she had been deliberately mutilated. Authorities now suspect the killing may have been ritualistic.
Further findings revealed that Abdulrahman and Hafsoh had connected on Facebook. On the day she vanished, he had invited her to his home under the guise of a casual visit.
This tragic case serves as a grim reminder of the dangers that can lurk behind seemingly harmless interactions. The investigation remains active, and Hafsohโs family and community are demanding justice.
The presiding judge, Judge Ajayi adjourned the case to June 11, when Abdulrahman is expected to testify further about the video.
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