The Kwara Police Command has arrested a young Muslim cleric, Abdurahman Bello, for allegedly killing a final year female student of Kwara State College of Education in Ilorin, Hafsoh Lawal.
Bello was apprehended by the law enforcement agency after the dismembered body of the deceased undergraduate student was recovered inside his house in Ilorin days after she was declared missing by police.
As gathered, the suspected cleric, who was identified as son of a deceased popular cleric and the Lawal were said to have met on social media weeks before the murder and that the deceased student never nursed any fear that the suspect had other intentions for her.
The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Toun Adeyẹmi, disclosed that investigations have commenced to unravel more information on the suspect in custody.
Adeyẹmi noted that the suspect was apprehended through his phone number whom he often used to contact the deceased before the alleged kidnap and murder.
Eyewitnesses narrated that on Monday, February 10, 2025, the deceased female student went missing while attending a naming ceremony.
Before being declared missing, she received a call from a friend, who mandated that she drop her food and leave the event.
They added that since then, her family and friends have been searching for her without any leads before the police discovery.
“On Tuesday, her parents reported her disappearance to the Oja Oba Police Station in Ilorin. The police quickly took action, requesting her phone number to track her last call. This investigation led them to an individual residing in the Ofa Garage district of Ilorin, although his family home is in Isalekuto.
“The suspect was apprehended but initially denied any knowledge of Hafsoh’s whereabouts. However, during a search of his residence, he confessed that she had died from an asthma attack after he had called her to come over.
“Tragically, the police later discovered Hafsoh’s body dismembered and hidden in a bowl, along with tools used in the dismemberment. The suspect is currently in custody at the police headquarters in Ilorin”.
