From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Two police witnesses and two others presented evidence, including human parts, before Justice Hannah Ajayi at the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on Wednesday in the trial of five suspects accused of murdering Hafsat Lawal, a final-year student at Kwara State College of Education.
The court admitted 16 exhibits, including a cutlass, a blood-stained centre table, an axe, a knife, a keg containing human blood, a wooden box with black soap, lady’s slippers, two earrings, four phones (Tecno, SR iPhone, itel A50, and another iPhone), a bag with charms and animal horns, an exercise book with charm accounts, two hands of the deceased, other human parts from a dumpsite, and broken beads.
Police witness Yusuf Dauda, custodian of exhibits at the Criminal Investigation Department, testified, “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.”
He listed the registered items, which faced no objection from defence counsel. Under cross-examination by Chukwudi Maduka, counsel for the first defendant, Dauda admitted he was not present at the recovery site. Inspector Mohammed, from the state CID, confirmed depositing human parts from Abdulrahman Bello’s house and a dumpsite at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for preservation, bringing them to court on Wednesday.
Ibrahim Lawal, the deceased’s father, recounted, “On 2/2/2025, my daughter told me that her friend, Islamiyah, that recently gave birth, planned to do naming ceremony.” On February 10, 2025, Hafsat attended the event but went missing after receiving a call. “At 4:00, 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,” he said.
After failed attempts to contact her, Lawal reported her missing on February 11 at Oja Oba Police Station. On February 14, police informed him of Bello’s arrest, who confessed, “Rahman said he’d killed Hafsat… revealing (unimaginably) that he has butchered my daughter.” Lawal identified her hands, slippers, beads, and phones among the exhibits, breaking down in tears.
Falilat Abdul Hafiz, Hafsat’s friend and a student, also testified, confirming details of the naming ceremony. The courtroom was emotional, with sobbing and an offensive odour from the human parts in a plastic container. Justice Ajayi adjourned the case to Monday, May 12, 2025, for further hearing.