Father of Murdered 24-year-old KWAED Graduate Breaks silence, Narrates Daughter’s Last moments
By Omowumi Omotosho
The air in Adefalu Compound of Oju-ekun, in Oju-Ekun Sarumi ward, Adangba in Ilorin West Local Government Area was thick with grief as the family grappled with the horrific murder of 24-year-old Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde Adefalu, a recent graduate of Chemistry and Integrated Science from Kwara state college Education.
The narrow streets leading to her family compound were lined with somber faces, neighbors whispering in hushed tones, their expressions reflecting a mix of sorrow and disbelief.
Hafsoh, the victim
Bello, the suspected murderer
Hafsoh was reportedly murdered by an Islamic cleric, named Abdulrahman Mohad Bello after she visited him at his residence in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin on Monday. Reports indicate that Bello connected with Yetunde through Facebook, eventually obtaining her contact information before luring her into a deadly trap.
The father of the slain young lady, a secondary school teacher, Ibrahim Lawal Adefalu speaks, his voice heavy with anguish as he recounted his daughter’s final moments and demanded justice for her brutal killing.
Speaking to National Pilot at his family compound, Adefalu expressed profound grief over the tragic loss of his daughter. “Well, let me say it is a sad event, a very, very sad experience. This girl was born about 24 years ago, and we have been bringing her up both in Islamic and Western education,” he said.
According to the father, Hafsoh had recently graduated from Kwara State College of Education, where she studied Chemistry and Integrated Science. “Very recently, she obtained her NCE certificate. If not for a little delay she had in her education, she would have been in a degree program now,” her father explained.
He recounted her last moments before her disappearance. “On that fateful day, last Monday, she returned from her workplace around 12:30. One of her friends was having a naming ceremony nearby, and she went to celebrate with them. While she was there, she received a call and told her friends she was going somewhere. She could not even settle down. The food they served her was given to another person because she couldn’t stay.
“Before I got wind of her absence, it was about 30 minutes later. I called her number; she didn’t pick up. Later, we called her number around 6:30 in the evening, but both phones were switched off,” Adefalu narrated.
Hoping she had gone to visit relatives, the family waited until the next morning. “She never went out without informing us. We thought maybe one of my sisters would call to say Hafsoh was with them, but no call came,” the deceased father said.
After 24 hours, her family went to the C-Division of the Nigeria Police in Oja-Oba, Ilorin, to report her missing. The investigation led them to the residence of the prime suspect, an Islamic cleric identified as Abdulrahman Mohad Ballo.
“The police discovered some materials at the killer’s residence—calabash, animal horns, soap, cutlasses, machetes, and other things. The man himself confessed that he cut her into pieces,” Adefalu revealed.
He called on the authorities to ensure justice for his daughter. “We want the Nigeria Police as a whole to give us justice. If not for the economy of the country, she would have completed her degree and served. But for someone to just murder her like that? We demand justice,” he declared.
When National Pilot contacted the Kwara State Police Command Spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on Saturday morning stated that: “the Kwara Police Command is aware of the gruesome killing of one Miss Yetunde H. Lawal. On 11/O2/2025 at about 1800hours, a case of missing person was reported at C Division Oja-Oba by her father Mr Ibrahim A Lawal. Immediately, the police detectives swung into action, tracked her number and arrested a suspect. The case was transferred yesterday to the SCID for discreet investigations. Further updates will be communicated as investigations progresses.”
