In a chilling testimony before a Kwara State High Court in Ilorin, Abdulrahman Bello, the prime suspect in the murder of Hafsoh, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, admitted to cutting her body into parts after consuming alcohol but insisted he did not kill her.
Bello told Justice Hannah Ajayi that the deceased, who was reportedly asthmatic, died during a sexual encounter in his apartment at the Olunlade area of Ilorin. According to him, he had left the room to get an inhaler when she began gasping, only to return and find her lifeless.
“I went out to get her inhaler when she started gasping. By the time I returned, she was dead. I got scared and went out to take alcohol. When I came back, I decided to cut her body into pieces,” he testified.
The suspect maintained that none of his four co-defendants were involved in the act, saying he acted alone.
Under cross-examination by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Bello admitted that he did not inform neighbours, report to the police, or take the deceased to a hospital. “I was afraid of her father,” he said in court.
The DPP argued that the body parts and blood found in his apartment were preserved in alcohol to prevent decomposition, suggesting a possible ritual motive. But Bello rejected the claim, stating that he had no intention of using her remains for money rituals.
“I regret everything. I loved her deeply. She played a big role in my life. She encouraged me to register for NABTEB and JAMB. She was an exceptional person,” he told the court.
He also alleged that police tortured him into making a video confession where he admitted to poisoning Hafsoh’s food and strangling her.
Meanwhile, the four other defendants testified that they had no knowledge of the killing. All defence lawyers requested seven days to submit their written addresses, while the prosecution sought ten days to respond after receiving the submissions.
Justice Ajayi granted the requests and adjourned the case to July 2, 2025, for final adoption of the written addresses.
