The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin has affirmed the death sentence imposed on self-acclaimed Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, for the murder of his lover, Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.
Arewa PUNCH recalls that Lawal was murdered on February 10, 2025, at the Olunlade area of Ilorin in a case that attracted widespread public outrage across Kwara State and beyond.
Bello and four others were initially arraigned on charges bordering on conspiracy, murder, unlawful removal and possession of human parts and blood, while Bello alone also faced a rape charge, of which he was eventually acquitted by the trial court.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday by a three-member panel led by Justice Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, the appellate court dismissed Bello’s appeal, holding that “the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he murdered the victim and was unlawfully in possession of human parts.”
The appellate court consequently upheld the judgment of the Kwara State High Court, which sentenced Bello to death by hanging and imposed an additional 10-year jail term over his conviction for unlawful possession of human parts. The court held that there was no merit in the appeal and consequently affirmed both the conviction and the sentence imposed by the trial court.
According to the appellate court, “the trial court properly evaluated the evidence before it and rightly concluded that the prosecution established the offences beyond reasonable doubt.”
The prosecution at the appellate court was led by the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, alongside the Chief State Counsel, Issa Zakari, and Assistant Chief State Counsel, B.L. Abdulsalam.
The ministry described the judgment as another significant milestone in the state’s criminal justice administration. “The judgment underscores the commitment of the Kwara State Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to ensuring that criminal cases are determined strictly in accordance with the law and the evidence presented before the courts,” the statement read. “It also reaffirms the principle that persons found guilty of grave offences, after a fair trial, will be held accountable under the law.”
The ministry further stated that the appellate court’s decision would strengthen public confidence in the justice system. “The affirmation of the conviction and sentence represents another milestone in the administration of criminal justice and reinforces public confidence in the rule of law and the appellate process.”
However, it noted that Bello still retains any further rights of appeal available to him under the Constitution and other applicable laws.
The appellate judgment followed a July 2025 verdict of the Kwara State High Court, where Justice Hannah Ajayi sentenced Bello to death after finding him guilty of murdering and dismembering Lawal. Delivering the judgment, Justice Ajayi described the crime as “the highest degree of human wickedness,” saying it was a “premeditated and cold-blooded act.”
The trial judge held that Bello’s claim that he loved the deceased and intended to marry her was merely an afterthought designed to deceive the court. She also ruled that Bello’s conduct after committing the crime and before his arrest suggested that it might not have been his first involvement in such an act, while a book on money-making charms recovered from his apartment further strengthened the prosecution’s case.
Justice Ajayi further held that the video and written confessional statements obtained by operatives of the Department of State Services and the police were lawfully admitted in evidence, dismissing Bello’s allegation that he was tortured into making the confessions.
While acquitting Bello of the rape charge, the trial court convicted him of murder and unlawful possession of human parts, sentencing him to death by hanging for the murder and imposing a 10-year prison term, with an option of a N100,000 fine, for the human parts offence.
The court also discharged and acquitted the four other defendants in the case — Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman and Abdulrahman Jamiu — after holding that the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the offences.
Reacting to the High Court judgment at the time, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, described the killing as tragic and commended the judiciary for ensuring justice. “The gruesome murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal was pathetic, unfortunate, regrettable and worrisome,” the monarch said in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Abdulazeez Arowona. “The judgment has further brightened the hope and trust of the people in the judiciary and security agencies. May Almighty Allah repose the soul of the late Hafsoh Lawal and comfort her family members.”
The monarch also urged parents and guardians to be vigilant and closely monitor the activities and movements of their children and wards to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.