An Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Mohad, has been sentenced to death by a Kwara State High Court for the murder of Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education.
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The judgment was delivered on Thursday by Justice Hannah Ajayi, who found Mohad guilty of killing the student for ritual purposes. The court, however, acquitted four other individuals namely Ahmed Abulwasiu, Sulaiman Muhydeen, Jamiu Uthman, and AbdulRahman Jamiu, citing insufficient evidence to link them to the crime.
The incident, which drew widespread attention, occurred on February 10, 2025, when Hafsoh was reported missing after receiving a phone call during a naming ceremony. Her sudden disappearance triggered a police investigation, leading to the arrest of Mohad and the four others after investigators traced her mobile phone records.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the suspects initially admitted to being members of an occult group and confessed to luring and killing Hafsoh for ritual purposes. However, in a later video statement, Mohad took full responsibility for the crime, stating that the others had no involvement.
The court relied on available evidence and Mohad’s own admission to convict him, while the co-defendants were set free.
