The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has approved a heartbreaking request by the family of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education gruesomely murdered and dismembered in February 2025. The court granted permission for her remains to be released for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
The emotional request was made during Monday’s session by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Sulyman, who is leading the prosecution of five suspects accused in the chilling murder that has stunned the state and drawn national attention.
Defence counsel for the prime suspect, Abdulrahman Bello—identified as the ringleader of the horrific crime—Mr. Chukwudi Maduka, did not oppose the application. He expressed his condolences to the bereaved family, even as the courtroom continues to absorb disturbing details of the case.
Bello and four accomplices are facing charges of criminal conspiracy and the brutal murder of Hafsoh Lawal, whose mutilated body parts were discovered in several locations around Ilorin. The shocking nature of the crime has ignited outrage and fear across the state.
During the resumed hearing, three prosecution witnesses—including two seasoned police officers and Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi, a pathologist from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital—delivered spine-chilling testimonies.
Investigators from the Police ‘C’ Division and the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) narrated how Bello allegedly confessed to the heinous act, guiding them to his apartment where body parts were discovered concealed in buckets filled with gin. Additional remains were recovered from a dumpsite in Olunlade and another refuse site near the Okolowo–Eyenkorin Expressway, with help from a local scavenger.
“Bello took us to the dumpsite, but the remains had been moved. Fortunately, a scavenger led us to their new location. Bello confirmed the parts belonged to Hafsoh,” one officer testified.
The court admitted a video showing the recovery of body parts from Bello’s apartment into evidence, despite objections from the defence. The footage was accompanied by a certificate of compliance.
Sergeant Moses, another witness, revealed that Hafsoh’s father reported her missing on February 11. Mobile phone tracking led investigators to Bello, who not only allegedly confessed but attempted to bribe the officer during his arrest.
A subsequent search of the suspect’s residence reportedly uncovered a blood-stained machete, fetish charms, and containers of human remains preserved in gin—a chilling scene straight out of a nightmare.
Pathologist Dr. Folaranmi confirmed that the body parts were indeed human. His autopsy report was admitted into evidence as Exhibit P17.
Presiding Judge Hannah Ajayi, visibly disturbed by the emerging details, dismissed the bail applications of the defendants as a distraction and pledged an accelerated hearing of the case to ensure swift justice.
The trial was adjourned until May 21, 2025.
PIONEER NEWS 