Abdulrahman Bello, the 29-year-old cleric and prime suspect in the murder of Hafsoh Lawal, has amended his earlier statement in court concerning the death if the final-year student of Kwara State College of Education, offering a revised account of the events surrounding the tragic incident.
Bello admitted to single-handedly dismembering Hafsoh’s body but insisted he was not responsible for her death.
Testifying before Justice Hannah Ajayi of the State High Court, while opening his defence, he said that his co-defendants did not have a hand in the incident.
The suspect also told the court that he used the knife and cutlass found by police detectives in his two-room apartment at Olunlade area of Ilorin, the state capital, to dismember the body of the deceased.
the cleric, who denied killing the deceased, said that Hafsoh died when she gasped during sexual intercourse due to an asthma attack.
These claims contradict his earlier statement in which he pleaded guilty to killing the final-year student for a money ritual.
“I went out to get an inhaler for her when I noticed that she was gasping because she had asthma. By the time I came back into the room, she had died. So, I left my place to take alcohol and returned to cut the body parts into pieces,” he told the court.
During cross examination by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the prime suspect also confirmed to the court that he did not call any of his neighbours to the incident, nor did he report the matter at the police station or took the body of the deceased to hospital, “because I was afraid of her father”.
“I loved her deeply. She changed my life. She encouraged me to register for NABTEB and JAMB,” he said, breaking down in court.
He also admitted to preserving the body parts in alcohol, but denied any intention of using them for rituals, as speculated by the prosecution.
The suspect further alleged that he was tortured by police officers to make a video confession in which he admitted to poisoning and strangling Hafsoh, claims he now refutes.
Meanwhile, the four other defendants arraigned alongside Bello maintained their innocence, claiming they had no knowledge of the incident.
Following submissions from the defence and the prosecution, Justice Ajayi granted requests for time to file final written addresses. The matter was subsequently adjourned to July 2, 2025, for the adoption of final submissions.
