Cleric Claims innocence as police find missing Kwara student’s body in his house

A 29-year-old Islamic teacher, Abdulrahman Bello, who was arrested on Saturday for the alleged murder of Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student at Kwara State College of Education, has claimed he is a “victim of circumstance.”

In a video that started trending on Saturday morning, Bello, who introduced himself as Mohammed, denied involvement in the victim’s death, stating that she was his girlfriend.

According to him, Yetunde had mentioned attending an event at 1 pm that day but returned after 3 pm. He said she told him she was hungry, prompting him to go out and buy food for her. However, upon his return, he allegedly found her gasping for breath.

Speaking in Yoruba, he said in the video, “My name is Mohammed. I’m a Muslim cleric.”

When asked about his education, he replied, “I’m about to gain admission into KWASU.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Talking about the victim, he said, “The girl is Hafusa. She is my girlfriend. I met her on Facebook.”

He insisted, “I didn’t kill her. I am just a victim of circumstance.”
Recounting the events, he claimed, “She told me they had an event at 1 pm after school that day. She got back after 3 pm. When she came, she told me she hadn’t eaten, so I went to get her food. However, she was gasping for breath when I got back.”

Bello alleged that Yetunde had previously told him she was asthmatic.
“I was in shock when she died, so I couldn’t cry out for help. I dismembered her body and disposed of it at the public refuse dump because I couldn’t think of any better way. I have never done this before. This is my first time.”

Yetunde Lawal was reported missing on February 11, a day after she failed to return home. Her remains were later discovered in Bello’s residence, where police also found fetish items, raising suspicions that this may not have been his first crime.