Islamic scholar arrested for killing under graduate for ritual in Ilorin

A Quranic teacher, Abdulrahman Mohammed Bello, has been arrested by Kwara State Police Command for allegedly killing a university undergraduate student, Yetunde Lawal for suspected ritual purpose.

The deceased was a final year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, before she met her untimely death.

AITNEWS learnt that the lady, the 25 years old, had been declared missing since Monday, February 10, before her dismembered body was discovered in the house of the suspect.

Yet under was at a child’s naming ceremony when she received a call from a Facebook friend, later discovered to be the suspect.

As if drawn, she reportedly dropped her food to answer the call, and since then, her whereabouts became unknown as her family searched for her.

AITNEWS further gathered that the following day, her parents reported the case to the Oja Oba Police Station in Ilorin where the police requested for her phone number so that it could be used to track her last call.

After tracing the owner of the line with whom Yetunde spoke last, the police discovered him at Ofa garage distinct area of Ilorin, although his family house is said to be at Isale Koko area.

When arrested and interrogated, the suspect initially denied knowledge of the lady’s whereabouts but later confessed that she came to him and died of an asthma attack.

Surprisingly, while carrying out further investigation, Yetunde’s dismembered body were hidden in a bowl, along with the tools used in doing the job inside the cleric house

The suspect is now at the police headquarters in Ilorin undergoing further interrogation.

In his confession, the suspect was said to have disclosed that he met Yetunde on Facebook.

He said that he immediately got her phone number and later called, inviting her to come to meet him.

It is alleged thst, the evidence found in the suspect’s house suggested it might not be his first time of committing such crime, as his room appeared to be equipped with tools suspected to be used for dismembering bodies.

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Also, the suspect, Bello, is said to be the son of a well-known Islamic cleric from Isalekoto, Ilorin, Sheikh Isiaq Mohammed Bello, who died on December 26, 2024. The father was said to be a prominent figure in the community before his death.

While confirming the incident, the command’s spokeswoman, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said in a statement:

“The Kwara Police Command is aware of the gruesome killing of one Yetunde H. Lawal.On 11/O2/2025 at about 1800 hours, a case of missing person was reported at C Division Oja-Oba by her father, Ibrahim A Lawal. Immediately, police detectives swung into action, tracked her number, and arrested a suspect, with exhibits recovered.

The case was transferred yesterday (Friday, February 14) to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigations.

Further updates will be communicated as the investigation progresses.

AITNEWS will bring you daily updates from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, as events unfold.