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Justice For Hafsoh: Court Grants Family’s Plea To Bury Dismembered Body Of Final-Year Student
The search later extended to a refuse dump along the Okolowo–Eyenkorin Expressway, with help from a scavenger, where more parts were recovered and identified by the suspect
Ilorin, Kwara State — A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has granted the request of the family of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education who was brutally murdered, to release her dismembered remains for burial according to Islamic rites.
The request was presented by the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, during Monday’s resumed hearing of the murder trial involving five suspects, including the prime accused, Abdulrahman Bello.
The defence counsel, Mr. Chukwudi Maduka, did not object, expressing sympathy with the grieving family.
Abdulrahman Bello and four others are facing charges of conspiracy and murder over the killing and dismemberment of Hafsoh, whose remains were discovered in multiple locations across Ilorin earlier this year.
Meanwhile, during the proceedings, key prosecution witnesses, including two police officers and a pathologist, detailed how the investigation unfolded.
However, officers from the Police ‘C’ Division and the State Criminal Investigation Department testified that Bello had orally confessed to the crime and led police to his apartment and a dumpsite in Olunlade where body parts were initially found.
The search later extended to a refuse dump along the Okolowo–Eyenkorin Expressway, with help from a scavenger, where more parts were recovered and identified by the suspect.
A video showing the grisly discovery of the remains in Bello’s apartment was played in court and admitted as evidence, despite objections from the defence.
Sergeant Moses also told the court that the victim’s father had reported her missing on February 11, and phone records led investigators to Bello, who allegedly attempted to bribe officers following his arrest.
However, a search of the suspect’s home reportedly uncovered blood-stained weapons, charms, and containers with human remains preserved in alcohol.
Testifying further, Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi, an anatomic pathologist with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, confirmed through a postmortem that the remains belonged to a human body. His forensic report was marked as Exhibit P17.
Presiding Judge Justice Hannah Ajayi, who described the bail request by the suspects as a “distraction,” adjourned the case to May 21, 2025, promising an accelerated hearing.
