The police in Ilorin have arrested an Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Mohad Ballo, for allegedly murdering a final-year student of Kwara State College of Education, Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde, for ritual purposes.
Ballo reportedly lured Yetunde after connecting with her on Facebook and obtaining her phone number. The tragic incident occurred on Monday, February 10, 2025.
Sources revealed that Hafsoh was attending a naming ceremony when she received a phone call from a friend. She left her meal to answer the call and never returned.
After hours of unsuccessful searches, her worried family and friends reported her disappearance to the Oja Oba Police Station in Ilorin the next day.
Police investigators traced her last phone call, which led them to Ballo’s residence in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin. Although he initially denied any involvement, a search of his home uncovered a gruesome scene—Hafsoh’s dismembered body was found in a bowl, along with tools suspected to have been used in the act.
Ballo claimed the victim had suffered an asthma attack while at his home. However, evidence at the scene—including a table equipped with dismemberment tools—suggested otherwise, raising suspicions that this might not have been his first crime.
The suspect, now in custody at the Kwara State Police Headquarters, is reportedly the son of a well-known Islamic cleric from Isalekoto, who recently passed away.
Attempts to reach the Kwara State Police spokesperson for comments were unsuccessful, as her phone remained unreachable and messages went unanswered.
