The family of a murdered final-year student of Kwara State College of Education, Hafsoh Lawal, allegedly killed by her Facebook acquaintance, Abdulrahman Bello, has pleaded with the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin to release her remains for proper burial following Islamic rites.
The request was made on Monday through the Kwara State attorney general and commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Sulyman, who is leading the prosecution team.
The defence counsel, Chukwudi Maduka, representing the prime suspect, did not oppose the application, expressing sympathy with the family despite the ongoing prosecution.
Bello and four other suspects are currently standing trial for conspiracy and the murder of the 24-year-old, who was declared missing on February 10.
Her dismembered remains were later discovered at multiple locations in Ilorin.
During the court session, three additional prosecution witnesses, including two police officers and a pathologist, gave chilling testimony that detailed the investigation and evidence recovery process.
Officers from the Police ‘C’ Division, Oja Oba and the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) testified that Bello made an oral confession and led detectives to key crime scenes.
One officer told the court that Bello initially took the police to his apartment, where parts of Hafsoh’s body were discovered and later directed them to a dumpsite at the Olunlade area and a refuse disposal point near the Okolowo–Eyenkorin expressway.
“We were led to the dumpsite by Abdulrahman Bello to recover human parts, but they had been taken away by waste collectors,” an officer said. “With the help of a scavenger, the parts were later recovered and identified by the suspect as belonging to the deceased.”
The prosecution also played a video in court showing the dismembered body parts discovered in Bello’s apartment.
The footage, submitted with a certificate of compliance, was admitted into evidence despite objections from the defence, which questioned its adherence to the state’s criminal justice procedure.
Sergeant Moses, another police witness, testified that Hafsoh’s father had reported her missing on February 11.
He added that phone records revealed Abdulrahman Bello was the last person to contact her, leading to his arrest.
According to the sergeant, Bello confessed and even attempted to bribe a police officer during transit to the station.
Further searches of Bello’s home reportedly uncovered Hafsoh’s items, blood-stained weapons, charms and buckets filled with human remains soaked in gin.
A pathologist from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi, confirmed through a postmortem examination that the remains recovered were indeed human.
His findings were admitted as Exhibit P17.
Justice Hannah Ajayi, who presided over the session, described the bail applications filed by the suspects as distractions.
She promised an expedited trial and adjourned the matter until May 21 for continuation.
In an earlier court appearance, Bello denied responsibility for Hafsoh’s death, claiming it was an accident.
However, mounting evidence presented by investigators points to a premeditated crime.
