Breaking: Court Sentences Cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, to Death Over Kwara Female Student's Killing
- The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of Hafsat Lawal, a student of the College of Education, Ilorin
- Delivering judgment, Justice Hannah Ajayi described the act as “cruel, wicked, and a chilling display of human depravity,” noting that evidence proved Hafsat was killed for ritual purposes and the trade of human body parts
- The court, however, discharged and acquitted four co-defendants, Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen, and Abdulrahman Jamiu, after ruling that they had no involvement in the crime
Legit.ng's Kwara correspondent Atanda Omobolaji has over 3 years of experience covering metro and legal issues.
Ilorin, Kwara state - The Kwara State High Court on Thursday, July 31, sentenced a self-acclaimed Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, to death by hanging for allegedly killing a student of the Kwara State College of Education, Hafsat Yetunde Lawal.
Legit.ng's Kwara state correspondent attended the court session where Justice Hannah Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, delivered the notable judgment.
Source: Twitter
The court also acquitted four other defendants and ordered them to be released.
Justice Ajayi had fixed judgment for today, Thursday, July 31, after the address stage was held on July 1, 2025.
After the hearing at the high court, all parties in the case formally adopted their final written addresses, bringing the trial to its closing stage.
Hafsat Yetunde Lawal's murder
Legit.ng reports that the convict allegedly murdered Miss Lawal for ritual purposes.
The deceased was initially reported missing by her father on February 11 at the Oja Oba police division in Kwara state.
According to the police, the deceased father reported that his daughter had attended the naming ceremony of her friend’s child a day earlier and did not return home.
After several calls were placed to her contact without response, her parents came to the police to file a complaint.
Following its preliminary investigations, police personnel then traced and picked up Bello, said to be 25 years old.
Initially, he denied, but upon questioning, he admitted that he saw her and she came to his house, and the unfortunate incident happened.
Source: Twitter
Abdulrahman Bello's sentencing: Nigerians react
Meanwhile, several X (formerly known as Twitter) users reacted to the update. Legit.ng captured some comments below:
Sheikh Idris Oni commented:
"It should have been death by dismemberment."
@Tsetimfrancis wrote:
"It serves him well."
Henry Ekeh said:
"Well deserved. No one has the right to take another man's life just like that."
Court sentences 'killer' of Nasarawa lady
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that purported gospel singer Timileyin Ajayi was sentenced to death for the killing of Salome Adaidu, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member.
A high court in Lafia, Nasarawa state, northcentral Nigeria, sentenced the suspect to death by hanging after finding him guilty of killing and dismembering Adaidu.
The presiding judge, Justice Simon Aboki, found Timileyin Ajayi guilty of culpable murder under Section 221 of the Northern Nigeria Penal Code.
Source: Legit.ng
Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.
Atanda Omobolaji (Kwara State Correspondent)
