A harrowing courtroom revelation stunned observers at the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, on Monday as Abdulrahman Bello, the prime suspect in the brutal murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of Kwara State College of Education, confessed to dismembering her body after consuming alcohol.
Testifying before Justice Hannah Ajayi, Bello admitted to acting alone in mutilating Hafsoh’s corpse and absolved his four co-defendants of any involvement in the crime.
“I did everything myself. I drank alcohol and then cut her body into pieces,” Bello told the court.
He disclosed that he used a knife and cutlass, later recovered by police from his two-room apartment in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, to carry out the act. However, Bello denied killing Hafsoh, claiming instead that she died from an asthma attack during sexual intercourse.
“She started gasping for breath during sex. I rushed out to get her inhaler, but by the time I returned, she was already dead. I left again to drink alcohol. When I returned, I cut her body into parts,” he said.
During cross-examination by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Bello admitted he did not call for help, alert neighbours, or report the death to the police or hospital. When asked why, he replied simply, “I was afraid of her father.”
In response to the prosecution’s line of questioning regarding possible ritual motives, Bello denied any involvement in money rituals. This followed police findings of the deceased’s body parts and blood preserved in alcohol five days after her death.
“The blood and hands were not kept for rituals,” he asserted.
Despite the horrifying details, Bello claimed he deeply loved the late Hafsoh and spoke emotionally about her impact on his life.
“I loved her. I can’t meet anyone like her again. She cared so much about my life. She was the one who encouraged me to write the 2024 NABTEB exam and take the JAMB form. She was exceptional to me,” he told the court.
On a confessional video earlier tendered by the prosecution, Bello alleged he was coerced into making a false confession by police torture.
“They beat me and forced me to say that I poisoned her food and strangled her to death,” he claimed.
The other four defendants, who were earlier arraigned alongside Bello, all testified that they had no knowledge of or involvement in the killing.
Following the conclusion of testimonies, defence lawyers requested seven days to file their final written addresses. The prosecution sought 10 additional days to respond after receiving the defence’s submissions.
Justice Hannah Ajayi granted both requests and adjourned the case to July 2, 2025, for the adoption of final addresses.