A 29-year-old Islamic cleric, Mohammed Bello, has been arrested in Ilorin, Kwara State, for allegedly killing and dismembering a lady, Hafsoh Lawal, whom he met on Facebook.
During police interrogation, Bello claimed that Hafsoh died of an asthma attack. He admitted to dismembering her body in an attempt to conceal her death.
Hafsoh, a private school teacher, was reported missing after leaving a naming ceremony to visit a friend she met online. When her family couldn’t reach her, they reported the case to the police, who traced her last phone calls to Bello. A search of his residence led to the discovery of her dismembered remains.
In a video recording of his confession, Bello insisted he was not responsible for her death. He claimed that Hafsoh told him she was hungry when she arrived at his home. He went to buy food for her but returned to find her gasping for breath. According to him, she had previously mentioned being asthmatic. Panicked and unsure of what to do, he decided to cut up her body and dispose of it at a refuse dump.
Hafsoh’s family dismissed his claim, insisting she had no history of asthma. A family friend, Lawyer Odedele, pointed out that Hafsoh was actively involved in cooking at the naming ceremony before heading to Bello’s house. He questioned why the suspect would dismember her body if she had simply died of natural causes.
The Kwara State Police Command has launched an investigation into the incident. The police spokesperson, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, assured that further details would be released once the investigation is complete.