Justice Hannah Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has reserved judgment in the high-profile case involving the suspected murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education.
The judgment, scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, follows months of legal proceedings in a case that has gripped public attention since February 10, when Hafsoh was allegedly murdered by AbdulRahman Bello, the prime suspect.
Bello is accused of gruesomely killing and dismembering the victim, preserving her palms in a bucket within his residence. He was arrested alongside four others — Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman, and AbdulRahman Jamiu — and arraigned on a five-count charge before Justice Ajayi.
All five pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy, murder, removal and possession of human parts, and unlawful blood extraction. Bello faces an additional count of rape, punishable under Section 283 of the Penal Code of Kwara State.
The prosecution presented several witnesses from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, tendering video evidence of Bello’s confession. He allegedly admitted to killing Hafsoh and dismembering her body, but later claimed she died during intercourse and that he disposed of her remains out of confusion.
The court also received physical exhibits, including human palms, waist beads, a container of blood, mobile phones, slippers, a black soap, cutlass, knife, and suspected body parts discovered at a government dumpsite.
While the prosecution could not directly link the other four defendants to the killing, it was established that Bello contacted them shortly after the incident.
