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.
Lawal was murdered on February 10, 2025, in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, in a case that sparked widespread 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. Bello was also charged with rape but was acquitted of that count by the trial court.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, the Court of Appeal dismissed Bello’s appeal, holding that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that he murdered Lawal and unlawfully possessed human parts.
The appellate court consequently affirmed the judgment of the Kwara State High Court, upholding Bello’s sentence of death by hanging for murder and a 10-year prison term for unlawful possession of human parts.
The appellate court also upheld the trial court’s finding that Bello’s conduct before his arrest suggested the offence was not an isolated incident. It further held that a book on money-making charms recovered from his apartment strengthened the prosecution’s case.
The court ruled that Bello’s video and written confessional statements were lawfully admitted as evidence, dismissing his claim that they were obtained through torture.
Although Bello was acquitted of the rape charge, the four other defendants, Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman and Abdulrahman Jamiu, were discharged and acquitted after the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the offences.
