Kwara: Family of slain student urges court to release body parts for burial
The family of Hafsoh Lawal, the murdered final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, has appealed to the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin to release her dismembered remains for proper Islamic burial. The request was presented by Kwara State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, who is leading […]
The family of Hafsoh Lawal, the murdered final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, has appealed to the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin to release her dismembered remains for proper Islamic burial.
The request was presented by Kwara State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Senior Ibrahim Sulyman, who is leading the prosecution in the ongoing trial of five suspects.
Lead defence counsel, Mr. Chukwudi Maduka, representing the first defendant, Abdulrahman Bello, did not oppose the request and expressed sympathy for the grieving family.
Bello and four others are facing charges of conspiracy and murder.
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During Monday’s hearing, three additional witnesses testified—including two police officers and a pathologist from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr. Olaleke Folaranmi.
Police investigators from the ‘C’ Division, Oja Oba, and the State CID told the court that Bello voluntarily confessed to the crime.
They testified that he led officers to his apartment, where some body parts were found, and then to two dumpsites in Olunlade and Okolowo-Eyenkorin, where additional remains were recovered.
“By the time we arrived at the dumpsite, the remains had already been moved by refuse collectors. A scavenger later helped our team locate the body parts, which the suspect confirmed belonged to the deceased,” a CID officer said.
The prosecution also tendered a video showing the recovery of body parts from Bello’s apartment.
Despite objections from the defence, the court admitted the footage and its certificate of compliance as evidence.
Sergeant Moses told the court that Hafsoh was reported missing on February 11. He said Bello was arrested after phone records confirmed he was her last contact. He also alleged that Bello attempted to bribe an officer en route to the station.
A subsequent search of the suspect’s home revealed Hafsoh’s personal items, blood-stained weapons, charms and human body parts soaked in gin.
Dr. Folaranmi confirmed through a postmortem that the remains were indeed human, and his report was admitted as Exhibit P17.
Presiding Judge Hannah Ajayi dismissed bail applications as a distraction and promised to expedite the trial. She adjourned the case to May 21, 2025, for continuation of the hearing.