A confessional video showing a murder suspect, Abdulrahman Bello, explaining why he killed a final-year student of Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, Hafsoh Lawal, was played at the resumed hearing of the murder case at the State High Court sitting in Ilorin, on Wednesday.
In the video, Abdulrahman, who is the prime suspect, confessed to killing Hafsoh for money rituals and that he carried out the heinous act alone.
He said he killed Hafsoh because he needed human’s hands for money ritual purposes.
He, however, regretted that if only he had the connection on how else to source for the needed ingredient elsewhere, he wouldn’t have killed Hafsoh.
Also, a police witness, Inspector Ayodele Azeez, attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Kwara State Police Command, gave evidence before the court.
He narrated that: “on 14th February 2025, a case of murder and rape was transfered from C Division Oja-Oba to State CID.
“The 1st defendant, AbdulRahman was found with the following exihibits; one axe, cutlass, table, charms, right and left hands of the victim, consultation book, techno phone, iPhone, iPhone SR, paint rubber, container with blood, slippers and after the case has been accepted at the state CID, it was later reffered to anti-homicide and anti-robbery sections.
“The case was assigned to some team of Police officers led by ASP Dada Segun, who directed me to obtain statement from the suspect and I took him to a conducive environment in a room.
“I asked him which language he prefer to speak and he settled for English and I asked if he had any relative around the police command or any lawyer to witness how his statement will be recorded,” the police witness recalled.
He added that: “He said No! I asked if he needed the service of a lawyer and he agreed that I should get him one but he added that he didn’t have money to pay for legal service. I told him not to worry about the money.
“I eventually got him lawyer, A.O. Ahmed, in whose presence he wrote his statement. After writing his statement under caution, he signed it after recording everything in his own handwriting.
“I told him to crosscheck again in case there was any ommission or need for addition, he confirmed that there was no problem and he signed the statement.
“After checking the statement, my team leader, ASP Dada Segun, requested that the lawyer endorse the statement which he also did while I also signed my column too as an IPO. ASP Dada Segun also requested me to also do video recording of how the suspect signed his statement.
“I also used my Android Phone to do recording and I transferred it to my laptop and later to a Compact Disk with Certificate of compliance,” he narrated.
Inspector Azeez further stated that on February 16, 2025, him and his team led by ASP Dada Segun went to the scene of the crime at Olunlade and found a pair of earrings belonging to the late Hafsoh.
He confirmed all the exihibits tendered before the court as items recovered from Abdulrahman Bello’s house.
Barr. Agbede, who held brief for the counsel to the 1st defendant, objected to the admission of the Compact Disk, stressing that the suspect was coerced into making his statement while counsels to other defendants raised no objection.
Justice Hannah Olushola Ajayi admitted the Compact Disk as an exhibit and ordered that it be played in the courtroom.
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