The Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has admitted 16 exhibits in the ongoing murder trial of Abraham Bello, the man accused of killing a final-year university student, Hafsat Lawal, earlier this year.
Hafsat was reportedly murdered in February after visiting Bello, whom she met on Facebook, at his renteda apartment in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin.
The court, presided over by Justice Hannah Ajayi, accepted a range of exhibits presented by the police, including a cutlass, an axe, a knife, a bloodstained center table, a keg containing human blood, charms, animal horns, and several mobile phones.
Other disturbing items included a bag of personal effects belonging to the deceased, her broken beads, and various human body parts, including two severed hands believed to be hers.
The exhibits were presented by police witnesses during the commencement of the trial.
Yusuf Dauda, a police officer and custodian of the exhibits at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), testified that he officially registered the items, which were brought in by Inspector Ayodele Azeez of the anti-robbery unit on February 16, 2025.
Dauda stated that the recovered items were tied to a case of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and unlawful possession of human parts involving the defendants.
There was no objection from the defense regarding the admission of the exhibits.
However, during cross-examination, defense counsel Chukwudi Maduka argued that Dauda was not present at the crime scenes and could not verify the exact locations where the items were found.
Another police witness, Inspector Mohammed, also told the court that the human remains recovered from Bello’s home and a nearby dumpsite were deposited at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for preservation.
In a heart-wrenching moment, Ibrahim Lawal, father of the deceased, broke down in tears when asked to identify his daughter’s severed hands during the proceedings.
His emotional reaction moved many in the courtroom to tears, while the odor from the preserved human remains filled the courtroom with a pungent stench.
All five accused persons were present in court, and four of the 16 scheduled witnesses testified during the hearing as the trial continues.
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