Appeal Court Upholds Death Sentence for Abdulrahman Bello Over Murder of Kwara Student
By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin has affirmed the death sentence imposed on Abdulrahman Bello for the murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole, the appellate court dismissed Bello’s appeal, holding that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the offences of murder and unlawful possession of human parts.
The court held that the trial court properly evaluated the evidence presented before it and rightly convicted the appellant.
“The appeal lacks merit,” the panel ruled, affirming Bello’s conviction and the sentence of death by hanging imposed by the trial court.
Bello was convicted for the killing of Lawal, who was reportedly his girlfriend. The prosecution maintained that he murdered the student, dismembered her body and kept parts of her remains for suspected ritual purposes.
The prosecution team was led by the Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Sulyman, alongside Chief State Counsel Issa Zakari and Assistant Chief State Counsel B.L. Abdulsalam.
The case drew nationwide attention following Bello’s arrest in February 2025.
According to police investigations, Bello allegedly lured the final-year student after establishing contact with her on Facebook and obtaining her phone number.
Lawal was said to have attended a naming ceremony on February 10, 2025, before receiving a phone call. She reportedly stepped out to answer the call but never returned, prompting her family and friends to begin a search.
After efforts to locate her proved unsuccessful, the matter was reported to the police at the Oja Oba Police Station in Ilorin.
Investigators subsequently traced her last phone call to Bello through an analysis of her phone records, leading them to his residence in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin.
Although Bello denied knowing anything about her disappearance, a search of his residence allegedly led to the discovery of Lawal’s dismembered body, while items suspected to have been used in the crime were also recovered from the premises.
During the investigation, Bello claimed that Lawal died after suffering an asthma attack while visiting his residence. However, the prosecution relied on evidence recovered from the scene to challenge that account during the trial.
The Court of Appeal’s judgment upholds the verdict of the lower court, bringing to an end Bello’s appeal against his conviction and sentence.