From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
A High Court sitting in Ilorin was thrown into a state of shock on Wednesday as human parts, blood-filled bottles, charms and other items were presented in court as evidence in the ongoing trial of Abdulrahman Bello, and his alleged accomplices, who are being prosecuted over the suspected ritual killing of 22-year-old Hafsoh Lawal.
The session, which lasted three hours, featured testimonies from police officers, the victim’s father, and close friend, shedding more light on the gruesome killing that has gripped Kwara State since February.
Led by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Senior Sulyman, the prosecution called its first witness, ASP Yusuf Garba of the State CID, who testified that all the suspects were brought to his office with shocking items including human hands, female slippers, phones, charms, an axe, and blood-stained containers.
“The items were presented to me for registration and were all entered under charge sheet number CER/22/25,” ASP Garba said, presenting the exhibits before the court.
However, defence counsels, including Barristers Chukwudi Maduka, A.O. Oseni and others, interrogated the witness on whether he was physically present during the arrest and recovery of the items from each defendant’s home.
ASP Garba admitted he was not present during the arrest but confirmed that the suspects were brought to him with the exhibits.
The second witness, Inspector Mohammed Kamal, attached to the homicide unit, confirmed the suspect, Abdulrahman Bello, confessed to the killing and assisted in retrieving further human parts dumped elsewhere.
“On 14th February, we received a case of murder involving human hands. The suspect confirmed ownership. Further recovery was made at a dumpsite two days later and taken to UITH for preservation,” he said.
When asked if he could identify the hands, Kamal said, “The father of the victim confirmed the hands belonged to his daughter.”
That father, Ibrahim Lawal Adefalu, who was the third witness, gave an emotional recount of how his daughter, Hafsoh, left home jokingly to attend a friend’s child naming ceremony, never to return.
“She said she got permission from work to cook for her friend’s baby’s naming ceremony. By 4pm, she was missing. Her mother searched but couldn’t find her. We tried calling, but her line went off and never came back on,” Adefalu said.
According to him, after days of fruitless searching, the police tracked Hafsoh’s phone and arrested Bello, who confessed to the killing.
“Bello told me in front of the police that he had killed my daughter and dismembered her body. The police brought back human parts and items I can still identify, including her hands with Laali designs, her slippers, two phones, and a bottle containing her blood,” he recounted tearfully.
Justice Hannah Ajayi, admitted the exhibits presented by the police, including the plastic containers, phones, slippers, charms, and blood-stained table, as evidence.
Falilat Abdulafees, a close friend of Hafsoh and a student of the University of Ado-Ekiti affiliated with Kwara State College of Education, also testified.
She recalled Hafsoh leaving the naming ceremony abruptly after receiving a phone call, never to be seen again.“She stood up and said she couldn’t eat, that she had to go somewhere urgently after receiving a call. That was the last time I saw her,” she told the court.
The case was adjourned to Monday, May 12, 2025, for continuation of hearing.
