Kwara Student’s Death: Suspect Says He Killed for Money Ritual

In court on Wednesday, Abdulrahman Bello, the suspected murderer of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student at Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, admitted to killing his Facebook lover for financial rituals.
Bello, who also says he is an Islamic cleric, reportedly told the court that he did the act by himself. Lawal required human hands for money ceremonies, which is why he killed him, he explained.
He apologized, though, saying he would not have killed her if he had known another way to get the components needed for the ceremony.

A police witness, Inspector Ayodele Azeez, who works for the state police command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), also spoke in court.

According to Inspector Azeez’s account of the inquiry, on February 14, 2025, the murder and rape case was moved from the Oja-Oba police division to the state CID.

Azeez listed the items that were discovered in Bello’s possession, which included a cutlass, axe, charms, the victim’s right and left hands, a consultation book, phones, and a blood bottle.

After the case was forwarded to the anti-homicide and anti-robbery divisions, the items were found.

“The first defendant, Abdulrahman, was discovered in possession of the following items: a single axe, a cutlass, a 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.” He added that after the case was accepted at the state CID, it was referred to the anti-homicide and anti-robbery sections.

“ASP Dada Segun, who supervised a team of police officers assigned to the case, instructed me to get a statement from the suspect and bring him to a room with a suitable setting.

“When I asked him what language he preferred to speak, he said English. I then asked if he had any family members or a lawyer nearby to observe how his statement would be recorded,” the police witness recalled.

“No,” he responded. He said that I should get him a lawyer when I inquired whether he needed one, but he also mentioned that he didn’t have the money to pay for one. “Don’t worry about the money,” I told him.

“I finally got him a lawyer, A.O. Ahmed, and he wrote his statement in front of him. He carefully wrote his statement, recorded everything in his own handwriting, and signed it.

“He signed the statement after confirming that there were no issues, but I advised him to double-check again in case there was anything missing or needed to be added.

After reviewing the statement, my team boss, ASP Dada Segun, asked the lawyer to sign it, and he did. I signed my piece as an IPO as well. I was also asked by ASP Dada Segun to record the suspect signing his statement on video.

“I recorded using my Android phone as well, and I later moved the footage to my laptop and a certificate of compliance-equipped compact disc.”

A compact disc with a video recording of the suspect signing his confession was admitted, but Barrister Agbede, who was representing the defense, objected throughout the hearings.

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Bello, according to Agbede, was forced to make the confession. But there was no protest from the other defendants’ attorneys. The disc was allowed to be shown in court despite the opposition, and Justice Hannah Ajayi ordered that it be played.

Additionally, Bello’s phone history showed that the other defendants had constant communication with him both prior to and on the day of the crime, according to Inspector Azeez.

These people were located by the police and taken into custody. When presented to Bello, it was established that the defendants knew him: the third defendant was a pupil of the second defendant, the third and fifth defendants were personal friends of Bello, and the second defendant was his teacher.

Their homes were searched by the police, but no more evidence of their guilt was discovered. The suspects were brought back to the station so they could be questioned further.

The court was in recess when this report was filed, and the matter was scheduled to resume for more review.