Court orders release of murdered Kwara student’s body for burial
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Monday ordered the release of the remains of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education who was brutally murdered, to her family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Justice Hannah Ajayi granted the order during the ongoing murder trial involving five defendants, following a formal request by the victim’s family.
The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Senior Sulyman, who is leading the prosecution, had earlier asked the court to permit the burial.
“I want to apply and pray the court to humbly order the release of the remains of Hafsoh Lawal who was murdered in cold blood by the defendants for proper burial as a Muslim so that her soul will have rest,” Sulyman said in court.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdulrahman Bello, Mr. Chukwudi Maduka, did not oppose the application.
“I sympathise with the family of the deceased who lost their beloved daughter. I don’t have any objection to the request made by the Honourable Attorney General despite the ongoing prosecution of the case,” he stated.
Justice Ajayi consequently ordered the Kwara State Police Command to release the dismembered body to Lawal’s parents for burial.
The five defendants—Abdulrahman Bello, Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Suleiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman, and AbdulRahman Jamiu—face charges of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and illegal possession of human parts. Bello is also charged with the rape of the deceased.
At the latest hearing, three more witnesses testified, including two police officers and a pathologist from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi.
Key testimonies came from officers of the Police ‘C’ Division in Oja-Oba, Ilorin, and the State Criminal Investigation Department. According to the officers, Bello confessed to the crime and led police to his apartment and subsequently to a dumpsite in the Olunlade area of Ilorin where body parts were recovered.
They added that further investigation led them to another dumpsite near the Okolowo–Eyenkorin expressway, where parts of the body had been discarded and later retrieved with the help of a scavenger. Bello allegedly identified the recovered remains as those of Lawal.
The prosecution presented a video in court showing the discovery of the dismembered remains in Bello’s apartment. Despite objections from the defence over its admissibility, the video and its accompanying certificate of compliance were accepted as evidence.
Sergeant Moses, another witness, testified that Hafsoh’s father had reported her missing on February 11. Investigations revealed Bello as the last person in contact with her. Upon arrest, Bello allegedly confessed and even attempted to bribe the arresting officer. A search of his home uncovered the victim’s belongings, blood-stained weapons, charms, and containers filled with body parts soaked in gin.
