Court Sentences Man to Death for Killing College Student in Kwara

By: Aremu Toyeebaht

Justice has finally been served in Kwara State as the High Court in Ilorin on Thursday sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of 24-year-old Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education.

The judgment, delivered by Justice Hannah Ajayi after four months of trial, found Bello guilty of killing the young woman, who was reportedly his acquaintance on Facebook.

According to court records, Bello lured Lawal to his residence in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin on February 13, 2025, under the pretense of an invitation after she had attended a naming ceremony. During the trial, Bello confessed to killing her for money ritual purposes, admitting that he needed human hands for the act and carried it out alone.

Four other individuals initially arraigned alongside Bello—Ahmed Abdulwasiu (41), Suleiman Muyideen (28), Jamiu Uthman (29), and Abdulrahmon Jamiu (31)—were discharged and acquitted due to lack of evidence linking them to the crime.

The sentencing brings closure to a case that sparked outrage among students and women’s groups across Kwara State, who had called for swift justice.