•The suspect
At the resumed hearing yesterday, foul odours pervaded the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin when police witnesses presented human parts as evidence at the ongoing trial before Justice Hannah Ajayi of the Facebook killer-lover, AbdulRahman Bello, who allegedly murdered Hafsoh Lawal.
All five suspects were present in court, while four of the 16 testified, reports Vanguard.
Father of the deceased, Ibrahim Lawal, also present in court, cried uncontrollably when asked to identify parts of her daughter’s hands presented as exhibits by the police witness.
Many people in court broke down in tears during the presentation of the items, while offensive odour from the human parts put in a plastic container enveloped the courtroom.
Justice Hannah Ajayi, at this point, dropped her pen and started pouring prayers on the embattled father that Almighty God will grace him to reap the fruits of his labours on other children that are alive.
Recall that AbdulRahman Bello, an Ilorin-based cleric, in February 2025, allegedly murdered his lover, Hafsoh Lawal and dismembered her body for an alleged money ritual.
The father of the deceased, Ibrahim Lawal, a resident of Oju Ekun, Ilorin and a teacher, while giving evidence to the court, narrated happenings that culminated in the discovery of her daughter’s killer, amidst sobbing.
He said: “On 2/2/2025, my daughter told me that her friend, Islamiyah, who recently gave birth, planned to do the naming ceremony. On 9/2/2025 she went to her friend, Falilat Abdul Hafiz, to prepare for the naming ceremony with “lali” hand design. Her sisters helped her with it. On 10/2/2025 she went to private school where she teaches and came back at about 1:00pm after taking permission to attend the naming.
”She went to the event. At 4:00, her mother noticed she was no longer among those celebrating. She asked Falilat to know Hafsat’s whereabouts. Falilat told the deceased mother that she got a call to attend to a person. The deceased did not even eat her served food, saying that she will come back to eat.
“I called her line, it rang, but she didn’t pick up. At about 7:00 pm, we called her line again, it was said to be switched off. I called all our relatives, but they said she wasn’t with them. The night fell, but she didn’t return. We had thought that she was afraid to come home after staying late. We searched all through the night for her.
“In the morning, my own father told me that the matter was already getting out of hand. At about 12 noon on 11/2/2025, I summoned my own brothers on the matter. It was around 3:00 pm that we got to the police station at Oja Oba, Ilorin.
“There, we were advised to do tracking of the deceased’s call logs. We gave the go-ahead on the development.
“It was on 13/2/2025 that the Police told us that efforts on the call logs had been achieved. Police assured that we would find our daughter and that work would commence the evening of that day.
“On 14/2/2025, police officer Moses again called me that call log had led to an arrest since 13/2/2025.
“That AbdulRahman has been arrested. Rahman was asked to tell us what happened by himself at the police station.
“It was said that Rahman had confessed, but he should say it by himself. Rahman said he’d killed Hafsat. I was down, I slumped. (Crying). We asked for the corpse for burial. That’s when Rahman said that the matter is beyond that, revealing (unimaginably) that he has butchered my daughter.
“I cried with pain and anguish. Then, the police detective took Rahman to his house, while we waited in the ‘C’ Division’s DPO office. They came back with the exhibits. I could identify all the items brought back from his house. Such as parts of my daughter’s hands.
“And Rahman even said that my daughter’s blood was contained in the keg. I thought it was all a joke until I saw Hafsat hands because I was there when she was doing “lali” in preparation for the naming. Also, I identified her slippers and beads and her two phones (Android Tecno and small itel)”.
The deceased’s (Hafsat) hands were later brought out for her father’s identification, which he confirmed to be those of his daughter.
Also, Hafsat’s closest friend, Falilat Abdul Hafiz, a student and a resident of Oju Ekun testified before the court.
Yesterday, at the commencement of the hearing, two police witnesses presented the human parts recovered during their investigation to the court.
Some items admitted as exhibits were: , cutlass, centre table stained with blood, axe, knife, keg containing human blood, a wooden box containing black soap, lady’s slippers, two earrings, one Tecno phone, one SR iPhone, one itel A50 phone and another iPhone, a bag containing charms, including animal horns and one exercise book containing account of charm.
Also admitted as exhibits were two hands said to belong to the deceased, among others recovered at a dumpsite, as well as the deceased’s broken beads.
In his submission, a police witness, Yusuf Dauda (custodian of the exhibits) in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said he registered the items as brought by Inspector Ayodele Azeez.
He narrated: “on February 16, 2025, I met with Inspector Ayodele Azeez, attached tothe anti-robbery unit coming with the defendants and exhibit in a case of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and illegal possession of human parts reported against the defendants. Items registered include: cutlass, centre table stained with blood, axe, knife, keg containing human blood, and a wooden box containing black soap and lady’s slippers, two earrings, one tecno phone, SR iphone, itel A50 phone and one iPhone, a bag containing charms and animal horns and one exercise book containing account of charm. I registered all in the register meant for the purpose”.
During cross-examination by counsel to the first defendant, Chukwudi Maduka told the witness that he was not where the items were recovered and did not know the location where they were recovered and as such could not be emphatic.
Also in his statement, Inspector Mohammed of the state CID, said that he deposited human parts recovered in the house of the first accused person, AbdulRahman, and those recovered at the dumpsite at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for preservation and only brought them as exhibits.
Justice Hannah Ajayi later adjourned further hearing of the matter till Monday, May 12, 2025.
