The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abdulrahman Bello

  • JUST IN: Court sentences killer of Ilorin final-year student

    JUST IN: Court sentences killer of Ilorin final-year student

    The Kwara State High Court 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 the judgment on Thursday, Justice Hannah Ajayi found Bello guilty of luring Hafsoh to his residence under false pretences before killing and dismembering her for alleged money rituals and trafficking in human body parts.

    Describing the crime as “cruel, wicked, and an extreme display of human wickedness,” the judge dismissed Bello’s claims that he loved the victim and intended to marry her, labelling them as fabricated lies used to deceive and trap her.

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    The offence occurred on February 10, 2025, at the Olunlade area in Ilorin, where Bello reportedly invited Hafsoh to his home, had sex with her, and then murdered her.

    While Bello was convicted and handed the death penalty, four other defendants—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu—were discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence linking them to the crime.

    Justice Ajayi ordered their immediate release.

  • How I dismembered Kwara Final-Year student, by suspect

    How I dismembered Kwara Final-Year student, by suspect

    Abdulrahman Bello, the prime suspect in the murder of a final year female student of the Kwara state College of Education, Hafsoh Lawal, told the court on Wednesday that he single-handedly carried out the cutting of the deceased into parts after taking alcohol.

    Testifying before Justice Hannah Ajayi of the State High Court, while opening his defence, the suspect said that his co-defendants did not have a hand in the incident.

    Bello also told the court that he used the knife and cutlass found by police detectives in his two-room apartment at Olunlade area of Ilorin, the state capital, to dismember the body of the deceased.

    The suspect, who denied killing the deceased, said that Hafsoh died when she gasped during sexual intercourse due to an asthma attack.

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    “I went out to get an inhaler for her when I noticed that she was gasping because she had asthma. By the time I came back into the room, she had died. So, I left my place to take alcohol and returned to cut the body parts into pieces,” he told the court.

    During cross examination by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the prime suspect also confirmed to the court that he did not call any of his neighbours to the incident, nor did he report the matter at the police station or took the body of the deceased to hospital, “because I was afraid of her father”.

    The DPP put it to the suspect that the drained blood and human parts of the deceased found in his place had not decomposed after five days of the incident, because they were immersed in alcohol for preservation.

    The suspect, however, denied keeping the blood and the hand, purposely, for money-making rituals.

    He said he regretted all the actions he took over the incident, adding that he was deeply sad.

    The prime suspect, who insisted that he did not kill the deceased, said that he loved her, “because I can’t ever meet her kind. She cared for my life. Even, I told the Police that she made me take the 2024 NABTEB examination. And that she made me take the JAMB form in preparation for the just concluded exam. She was exceptional in my life”.

    He said he was tortured by the police to say in the video evidence, presented in court, that he poisoned the food taken by the deceased and that he strangulated her to kill her.

    All four co-defendants in the matter denied knowledge of the killing of the deceased when testifying before the court.

  • Alleged killing of final students: Kwara court remands Islmaic cleric, five others

    Alleged killing of final students: Kwara court remands Islmaic cleric, five others

    Kwara State Magistrate Court in Ilorin yesterday remanded one Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, and others for allegedly killing a final year student of Kwara State College of Education.

    Others are Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhyideen, Jamiu Uthman, Abdulrahmon Jamiu

    They are cooling their heels at the Oke Kura Correctional Centre, Ilorin.

    The Magistrate Sanusi B. Mohammed adjourned the case till March 6.

    Bello was not represented by any counsel.

    They were accused of a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, possession of human parts and armed robbery.

    The offences are contrary to sections 97, 221 of the penal code law, Section 2 of Kwara state (prohibition law) of dealing in human parts Law 4 of 2018 and section 1(2) of robbery and firearms (special provision) Act CAP R11 Law of the federation of Nigeria 2004.

    According to the First Information Report (FIR), Islamic cleric allegedly committed the crime with his co-accused as accomplices.

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    The charge sheet added that, “during the course of investigation at the State CID, Ilorin you, Abdulrahman Bello ‘male’ indicted and confessed to have done the act with the consent and knowledge of the following persons; Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhyideen, Jamiu Uthman and Abdulrahmon Jamiu all ‘male’, who were all into same occultic group and that led to their arrest.

    “Investigation conducted at the State CID, llorin revealed that, you Abdulrahman Bello, Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhyideen, Jamiu Uthman, Abdulrahmon Jamiu all ‘male’ and others at large, criminally conspired together in killing of the victim for ritual purposes and equally robbed her of her jewelries and other valuables.

    “Further investigation conducted at the State CID, Ilorin revealed that, you Abdulrahmon Jamiu, Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhyideen, Jamiu Uthman, Abdulrahmon Jamiu, ‘male’ and others at large are the syndicate that have been killing unsuspecting citizens of Kwara for rituals.

    “On 14-02-2025 at about 1400hrs, the above captioned case was transferred from ‘C’ Divisional Headquarters, Oja-Oba, llorin and referred to Anti-Robbery Section, State CID, Ilorin for discreet investigation. ‘‘