‘I Dismembered Her After She Died During Sex’— Kwara Murder Suspect Tells Court

Ilorin, Kwara State — Abdulrahman Bello, the principal suspect in the gruesome murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, admitted in court on Wednesday that he alone dismembered her body after consuming alcohol.

Testifying before Justice Hannah Ajayi at the Kwara State High Court, Bello revealed chilling details of how he used a knife and cutlass—recovered by police in his two-room apartment in the Olunlade area of Ilorin—to mutilate the victim’s body.

While denying responsibility for Hafsoh’s death, Bello claimed she died during sexual intercourse following an asthma attack.

“She gasped and stopped breathing during sex,” he told the court, maintaining that he panicked and resorted to dismembering her corpse under the influence of alcohol.

He insisted that his co-defendants were not involved in either the death or the dismemberment.

His statement comes as the defence opens in a case that has drawn widespread attention across Kwara State and beyond.

“I can’t ever meet her kind again. She cared about my life. I even told the police that she made me take the 2024 NABTEB examination and encouraged me to purchase the JAMB form for the just-concluded exam. She was exceptional in my life.”

During cross-examination by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the prime suspect admitted in court that he neither alerted any neighbours nor reported the incident to the police.

He also failed to take the deceased’s body to the hospital, stating, “I was afraid of her father.”

The DPP alleged that the blood and human parts of the deceased discovered at the suspect’s residence had not decomposed five days after the incident because they had been preserved in alcohol.

However, the suspect denied allegations that he intentionally kept the blood and a severed hand for ritual purposes.

Expressing remorse, the suspect said he regretted his actions and was deeply saddened by the events.

He maintained that he did not kill the deceased and professed his love for her.

“I can’t ever meet her kind. She cared about me. I even told the police that she encouraged me to take the 2024 NABTEB exam and made me register for JAMB. She played an exceptional role in my life,” he told the court.

The suspect also claimed he was tortured by the police into confessing on video that he poisoned the deceased’s food and strangled her.

All four co-defendants testified that they had no knowledge of the killing.

Meanwhile, defence counsels jointly requested seven days to file their written addresses.

The prosecution asked for ten days to respond after receiving the defence’s submissions.

Howevet, Justice Hannah Ajayi granted both requests and adjourned the case to July 2, 2025, for the final adoption of written addresses.