By Joy Yesufu
An Ilorin-based Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, has been sentenced to death by hanging for the murder and dismemberment of a 24-year-old woman, Hafsor Lawal, in what the court described as a ritual killing.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Hannah Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, found Bello guilty of culpable homicide, unlawful possession of human parts, and human blood.
The court, however, discharged him of a rape charge due to insufficient evidence.
Lawal, a graduate of the Kwara State College of Education, was lured and gruesomely murdered in February 2025.
Her mutilated remains were later discovered in circumstances that pointed to ritual purposes.
In her ruling, Justice Ajayi described the act as “the highest degree of human wickedness and a cruel act,” stating that Bello’s defence in court revealed a premeditated intention to kill for money rituals.
The judge also discharged and acquitted four other co-defendants—Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman, and Abdulrahman Jamiu, citing lack of evidence linking them directly to the crime.
The courtroom was filled with emotion as family members and supporters of the victim welcomed the verdict, describing it as justice well served. Legal representatives of the convict did not immediately indicate whether they would appeal the judgment.
