A final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde, has been found dismembered in the home of an Islamic cleric she reportedly met on Facebook.
The suspect, identified as Abdulrahman Mohad Ballo, was arrested in connection with the gruesome killing, which police believe may have been for ritual purposes.
According to the Kwara State Police Command, Yetunde was last seen on Monday, February 10, 2025, when she attended a naming ceremony.
Witnesses say she received a call during the event, stepped aside to answer it, and left shortly afterward, never to return.
Her worried family reported her missing at the Oja-Oba Police Station in Ilorin on Tuesday, February 11.
Detectives immediately began tracking her phone number, which led them to the suspect’s residence in the Offa Garage district of Ilorin.
Initially, Ballo denied any knowledge of the student’s whereabouts. However, a search of his premises revealed the grim truth. Police discovered Yetunde’s dismembered body hidden in a bowl, alongside tools suspected to have been used in the act.
Confronted with the evidence, Ballo confessed that Yetunde had indeed visited him but claimed she died of an asthma attack.
Investigators, however, suspect foul play, given the condition of the remains and the discovery of ritualistic items in his home.
Police sources suggest this may not have been Ballo’s first offense, as several suspicious tools were found in his possession, indicating a possible pattern of ritual killings.
The family of the deceased is devastated, calling for justice to be served.
Meanwhile, the police say investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the crime and any possible accomplices.