A chilling confessional video of Abdulrahman Bello, the prime suspect in the murder of Hafsoh Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, was played before the Kwara State High Court on Wednesday.
In the footage presented as evidence by the prosecution, Abdulrahman admitted to killing the 24-year-old for ritual purposes, stating that he needed her hands to perform money rituals.
The suspect said he acted alone and regretted the act, adding that had he known another way to obtain the required items, he would not have killed her.
“If I had the connection to get human parts elsewhere, I wouldn’t have done this. But I didn’t,” he confessed in the video.
The confessional video, recorded during a police interrogation, was tendered by the prosecution and admitted by Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi after a brief objection by the defence counsel, Barrister Agbede, who argued that the statement was obtained under duress.
However, lawyers representing other defendants in the case raised no objection.
A police officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Inspector Ayodele Azeez, testified before the court. He said the case was transferred to the CID on February 14, 2025, and several exhibits were recovered from the suspect’s residence.
These included an axe, cutlass, a table, charms, Hafsoh’s severed hands, multiple mobile phones, a container filled with blood, and a consultation book.
Inspector Azeez further disclosed that the statement was taken from Abdulrahman in the presence of a lawyer, A.O. Ahmed, who was provided free of charge after the suspect claimed he had no funds to hire legal representation.
“I ensured all procedures were followed, including giving him the option of a lawyer and recording the statement under caution,” Azeez told the court.
“After the written statement, I used my Android phone to video-record the process and later transferred the file to a compact disc.”
The court also heard that a pair of earrings belonging to Hafsoh was recovered from the crime scene at Olunlade during a follow-up investigation on February 16.
Justice Ajayi ruled that the video evidence be played in court and admitted the compact disc as an exhibit. The case continues.
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