A 29-year-old Islamic teacher, Abdulrahman Bello, arrested on Saturday for the alleged murder of Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student at Kwara State College of Education, has claimed he is a “victim of circumstance.”
In a video that went viral on Saturday morning, Bello, who introduced himself as Mohammed, denied any involvement in Yetunde’s death, stating that she was his girlfriend.
According to Bello, Yetunde had mentioned attending an event at 1 p.m. that day but returned after 3 p.m. He claimed that she told him she was hungry, prompting him to go out and buy food for her. However, upon his return, he found her gasping for breath.
Speaking in Yoruba, he said in the video, “My name is Mohammed. I’m a Muslim cleric.” When asked about his education, he responded, “I’m about to gain admission into KWASU.”
Describing the victim, he said, “The girl is Hafusa. She is my girlfriend. I met her on Facebook.” He continued, “I didn’t kill her. I am just a victim of circumstance.”
Recounting the events, he claimed, “She told me they had an event at 1 p.m. that day. She came back after 3 p.m., and when she arrived, she said she hadn’t eaten, so I went to buy her food. But when I returned, she was gasping for breath.”
Bello alleged that Yetunde had previously told him she was asthmatic.
“I was in shock when she died. I didn’t know what to do, so I couldn’t cry for help. I dismembered her body and dumped it at the public refuse dump because I couldn’t think of any better option. I’ve never done anything like this before. This is my first time,” he admitted.
Yetunde Lawal was reported missing on February 11, a day after she failed to return home. Her remains were later discovered in Bello’s residence, where police also found fetish items, raising suspicions that this might not have been his first crime.
Watch the video below:
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) February 16, 2025
A 29-year-old Islamic teacher, Abdulrahman Bello, who was arrested on Saturday for the alleged murder… pic.twitter.com/ExaLMbZumA
