Mohammed Bello, an Islamic preacher, was detained in Kwara State’s Ilorin area for reportedly killing and dismembering the body of a woman named Hafsoh Lawal. Bello claimed that the woman had died of asthma.
The 29-year-old suspect admitted to dismembering the body in an attempt to hide the victim’s death in an interrogation video that was obtained on Sunday.
It was learnt that Hafsoh, a private school teacher, disappeared last Monday after seeing a friend she met on Facebook after leaving a naming ceremony she had attended.
Her family reported her missing to the local police station when it became unclear where she was. This prompted an investigation into the calls made on her line, which ultimately led the police to Bello.
After being arrested, the suspect denied knowing that he was involved in Hafsoh’s death. This led the police to search his home, where they discovered Hafsoh’s dismembered body among other exhibits.
Narrating what transpired between him and the victim in an interrogation video, the suspect indicated that he was not guilty for the death of the victim.
On the day of her death, Bello reported that his girlfriend, Hafsoh, had told him she was hungry when she arrived at his place, emphasising that he had gone to bring her food and returned to find her out of breath.
Speaking in Yoruba (now translated), Bello said, “My name is Mohammed. I’m a Muslim cleric. I’m about to gain admission into KWASU.
“The girl is Hafsoh. She is my girlfriend. I met her on Facebook. I didn’t kill her. I am just a victim of circumstance.
“She told me they had an event at 1 pm after school that day. She got back after 3 pm. When she came, she told me she hadn’t eaten, so I went to get her food. However, she was gasping for breath when I got back.”
Bello reported that Hafsoh had earlier informed him that she had asthma and that he had dissected her body because he was at a loss for how to deal with her passing.
“I was in shock when she died, so I couldn’t cry out for help. I dismembered her body and disposed of it at the public refuse dump because I couldn’t think of any better way. I have never done this before. This is my first time,” Bello said.
The family of Hafsoh rejected Bello’s assertion that the victim had asthma when they were contacted.
In a phone interview on Sunday, Lawyer Odedele, a friend of the victim’s father who was aware of the incident, stated that the victim was among those who prepared food at the naming ceremony she attended prior to her passing, emphasising that she wouldn’t have done so if she had asthma.
Odedele said, “Though I am not aware of her health history, even if she died of asthma as claimed by the suspect, was he supposed to have dismembered her body?
“She was part of those who cooked at her friend’s naming ceremony before she left to visit the suspect. Would someone who is asthmatic have participated in the cooking? He is just making excuses.”
The victim’s father, Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal, had not yet returned calls to his line at the time this story was filed, thus attempts to gain his response were unsuccessful.
The Kwara State Police Command, meanwhile, announced that it had commenced an investigation.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, disclosed that further details would be made available to the public upon the conclusion of an ongoing investigation.
