Court Grants Family’s Request To B√ry Dism£mbered Final-Year Student In Kwara State
The request was made during Monday’s hearing by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ibrahim Sulyman, who leads the prosecution against five suspects charged with Hafsoh’s murder.
The Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has granted the request of the family of Hafsoh Lawal, a murdered final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, to release her dismembered body for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
The request was made during Monday’s hearing by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ibrahim Sulyman, who leads the prosecution against five suspects charged with Hafsoh’s murder.
The defence counsel for the first defendant, Mr. Chukwudi Maduka, did not oppose the application, expressing sympathy with the bereaved family despite the ongoing trial.
Abdulrahman Bello and four others are facing charges of conspiracy and the brutal killing of Hafsoh Lawal, a case that has gripped the state with horror since her dismembered body was discovered in February.
During the resumed proceedings, three key witnesses, including two police officers and Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi, a pathologist from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, gave detailed testimonies.
According to investigators from the Police ‘C’ Division and the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abdulrahman Bello orally confessed to the crime and led officers to his apartment, where parts of Hafsoh’s dismembered body were found.
The police also recovered further remains from a dumpsite in the Olunlade area and later at a refuse site near the Okolowo–Eyenkorin Expressway.
“Bello led us to the dumpsite, but the remains had been moved. We later met a scavenger who helped us recover them. Bello identified the body parts as those of Hafsoh,” one officer testified.
The court admitted a video showing the discovery of body parts in Bello’s apartment, along with a certificate of compliance, despite objections from the defence.
Sergeant Moses, another witness, said the victim’s father reported her missing on February 11.
He stated that phone records led investigators to Bello, who allegedly confessed and tried to bribe him during his arrest.
A search of the suspect’s home reportedly revealed blood-stained weapons, charms, and buckets filled with human parts preserved in gin.
Dr. Folaranmi confirmed that the recovered remains were indeed human, and his autopsy report was submitted as Exhibit P17.
Presiding Judge Hannah Ajayi described a bail application submitted by the defendants as a distraction, assuring that the court would grant the case accelerated hearing.
She adjourned proceedings until May 21, 2025.
