Africa-Press – Nigeria. A large audience who witnessed the commencement of trial of the five suspects in connection with the alleged murder of the final year female student of the College of Education Ilorin, Yetunde Lawal, broke down in tears when dismembered body parts of the deceased were presented by police witnesses in a Kwara High Court in Ilorin on Wednesday.
The court was overwhelmed with foul odours when police witnesses presented the human parts as parts of evidences at the opening of trial of the Facebook killer-lover, AbdulRahman Bello before the trial judge, Justice Hannah Ajayi.
Ibrahim Lawal, father of the deceased, who could not control his emotions, cried uncontrollably when asked to identify parts of her daughter’s hands presented as exhibits by the police.
AbdulRahman Bello, an Ilorin-based cleric and the prime suspect in the murder case, in February allegedly murdered his lover, Yetunde Hafsoh Lawal and dismembered her body.
When hearing commenced on Wednesday, two police witnesses presented the human parts recovered during their investigation to court.
Items admitted as exhibits included cutlass, centre table stained with blood, axe, knife, keg containing human blood, a wooden box containing black soap, lady’s slippers, two earrings, one Tecno phone, one SR iPhone, one itel A50 phone and another iPhone, a bag containing charms, including animal horns and one exercise book containing account of charms.
Also admitted as exhibits were two hands said to belong to the deceased, among others recovered at a dumpsite, as well as the deceased’s broken beads.
All the five suspects were present in court, while four of the 16 witnesses testified.
In his submission, a police witness, Yusuf Dauda (custodian of the exhibits) in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said he registered the items as brought by Inspector Ayodele Azeez.
In his account, he said “on February 16, 2025, I met with Inspector Ayodele Azeez, attached to anti-robbery unit coming with the defendants and exhibit in a case of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and illegal possession of human parts reported against the defendants.
” Items registered included; cutlass, centre table stained with blood, axe, knife, keg containing human blood, and a wooden box containing black soap and lady’s slippers, two earrings, one tecno phone, SR iphone, itel A50 phone and one iPhone, a bag containing charms and animal horns and one exercise book containing account of charm. I registered all in the register meant for the purpose.”
During cross examination by counsel to the first defendant, Chukwudi Maduka, told the witness that he was not where the items were recovered and did not know the location that they were recovered and as such could not be emphatic.
Also in his statement, Inspector Mohammed of the state CID, said he deposited human parts recovered in the house of the prime suspect, AbdulRahman, and those recovered at the dumpsite at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for preservation and only brought them as exhibits.
The father of the deceased, Ibrahim Lawal, a resident of Oju Ekun, Ilorin and a teacher, recounted happenings that culminated to discovery of her daughter’s killer, amidst sobbing in the court.
He said “On 2/2/2025, my daughter told me that her friend, Islamiyah, that recently gave birth, planned to do naming ceremony. On 9/2/2025 she went to her friend, Falilat Abdul Hafiz, to prepare for the naming ceremony with “lali” hand design. Her sisters helped her with it.
“On 10/2/2025 she went to private school where she teaches and came back at about 1:00pm after taking permission to attend the naming. She went to the event. At 4:00p.m, her mother noticed she was no longer among those celebrating. She asked Falilat to know Hafsat’s whereabouts. Falilat told the deceased mother that she got a call to attend to a person. The deceased did not even eat her served food, saying that she would come back to eat.
” I called her line, it rang but she didn’t pick up. At about 7:00pm, we called her line again, it was switched off. I called all our relations, but they said she wasn’t with them. The night fell, but she didn’t return. We had thought that she was afraid to come home after staying late. We searched all through the night for her.
“In the morning, my own father told me that the matter was already getting out of hand. At about 12noon on 11/2/2025, I summoned my own brothers on the matter. It was around 3:00pm we got to police station at Oja Oba, Ilorin. There, we were advised to do tracking of the deceased’s call logs. We gave a go-ahead on the development. It was on 13/2/2025 that Police told us that efforts on the call logs had been achieved. Police assured that we would find our daughter and that work would commence evening of that day.
“On 14/2/2025, police officer Moses again called me that call log had led to an arrest since 13/2/2025. That AbdulRahman has been arrested. Rahman was asked to tell us what happened by himself at the police station. It was said that Rahman had confessed but he should say it by himself.
“Rahman said he had killed Hafsat. I was down, I slumped. (Crying). We asked for the corpse for burial. That was when Rahman said that the matter is beyond that, revealing (unimaginably) that he has butchered my daughter.
“I cried with pain and anguish. Then, police detective took Rahman to his house, while we waited at the ‘C’ Division’s DPO’s office. They came back with the exhibits. I could identify all the items brought back from his house. Such are parts of my daughter’s hands. And Rahman even said that my daughter’s blood was contained in the keg.
“I thought it was all joke until I saw Hafsat hands because I was there when she was doing “lali” in preparation for the naming. Also, I identified her slippers and beads and her two phones (Android tecno and small itel),” the deceased’s father stated.
The deceased’s (Hafsat) hands were later brought out for her father’s identification, which he confirmed to be of his daughter.
Also, Hafsat’s closest friend, Falilat Abdul Hafiz, a student and a resident of Oju Ekun testified before the court.
Justice Hannah Ajayi, adjo
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