Hafsoh Lawal was a final-year student at Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, and his suspected killer, Abdulrahman Bello, admitted in court on Wednesday to killing his Facebook lover for financial rituals.
Bello, who identifies himself as an Islamic preacher, reportedly told the court that he carried out the deed by himself. “I killed Lawal because he needed human hands for money rituals,” he explained.
Regretfully, he said, he would not have killed her if he had known another way to get the ingredients needed for the ceremony.
The court also heard testimony from Inspector Ayodele Azeez, a police witness who works for the state police command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Inspector Azeez recounted the investigation’s specifics, stating that on February 14, 2025, the murder and rape case was moved from the Oja-Oba police division to the state CID.
The axe, cutlass, charms, victim’s right and left hands, a consultation book, phones, and a blood container were among the items displayed in Bello’s possession, according to Azeez.
Following a referral of the case to the anti-homicide and anti-robbery divisions, the items were recovered.
One axe, cutlass, table, charms, the victim’s right and left hands, a consultation book, a Tecno phone, an iPhone, an iPhone XR, paint rubber, a blood container, and slippers were among the exhibits discovered on the first defendant, Abdulrahman, he said. The case was then referred to the anti-homicide and anti-robbery sections after it was accepted at the state CID.
“ASP Dada Segun headed a team of police officers assigned to the case, and they gave me instructions to get a statement from the suspect. I then escorted him to a room with a suitable setting.
According to the police witness, “I asked him which language he preferred to speak and he settled for English. I asked if he had any relatives around the police command or any lawyer to witness how his statement would be recorded.”
“No!” he exclaimed. When I asked if he needed a lawyer, he said that I should find him one, but he also said that he didn’t have the money to pay for one. The money is not a concern, I told him.
In the end, I found him a lawyer named A.O. Ahmed, with whom he composed his statement. Writing his statement carefully, he recorded everything in his own handwriting and signed it.
After I advised him to double-check in case there was anything missing or needed to be added, he signed the statement and attested that everything was in order.
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After reviewing the statement, ASP Dada Segun, my team leader, asked the lawyer to sign it. He did so, and I signed my piece as an IPO as well. Additionally, I was asked by ASP Dada Segun to record the suspect signing his statement on camera.
“I also recorded using my Android phone, which I then moved to my laptop and, once I had a certificate of compliance, to a disc.”
Defense attorney Barrister Agbede challenged to the admission of a compact disc that had a video recording of the suspect signing his statement during the proceedings.
Bello was forced to make the confession, Agbede claimed. The attorneys for the other defendants, however, made no objection. In spite of the opposition, the disc was allowed to be shown in court by Justice Hannah Ajayi, who also ordered its playing.
According to Bello’s call log, Inspector Azeez also revealed that the other defendants had continuous communication with him both prior to and on the day of the crime.
The cops found these people and took them into custody. Since the second defendant was Bello’s instructor, the third defendant was a pupil of the second defendant, and the third and fifth defendants were his close friends, it was established that the defendants knew Bello when they were brought before him.
After searching their homes, the police were unable to find any more evidence that could implicate them. After being questioned further, the suspects were brought back to the station.
When this report was filed, the court was in recess and the case was scheduled to resume for more review.
