TEARS IN COURT AS POLICE PRESENT BODY PARTS OF STUDENT HAFSOH, MURDERED BY ALFA LOVER

The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin was overcome by grief and shock yesterday as police officers laid bare the gruesome evidence in the murder of 22-year-old final-year student, Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal.

Hafsoh, a native of Ilorin and a student at the Kwara State College of Education, vanished on February 10 after abruptly leaving a naming ceremony upon receiving a phone call. A widespread search culminated in the arrest of 29-year-old Islamic cleric AbdulRahman Bello, whom she had reportedly met through Facebook.

In court, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department presented:

• Two human palms and other dismembered body parts
• A keg containing suspected human blood
• A cutlass and an axe believed to have been used in the killing
• A sack of charms and related paraphernalia

As the exhibits were displayed, Mr. Ibrahim Lawal, the victim’s father, broke down in tears while identifying his daughter’s remains. Police revealed that Bello initially claimed Hafsoh died from an asthma attack, but later confessed to killing and dismembering her body in his Ilorin residence.

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Four additional suspects have been arraigned alongside Bello on charges of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and illegal possession of human parts. The state government has taken over the prosecution, pledging a thorough and transparent trial.

Justice Hannah Ajayi adjourned the hearing until May 12, when further witness testimonies are expected to shed more light on the motive and circumstances of this horrifying crime.