The adjournment was announced on Thursday morning when the defendants were brought before the court by the police for the continuation of the hearing.

A Kwara State Magistrate Court sitting in Ilorin has adjourned the trial of an Islamic cleric, Abdulrahman Mohad (also identified as Mohammed A. Bello), and four others accused of killing Lawal Hafsoh Yetunde, a final-year student of Kwara State College of Education, for ritual purposes.

The adjournment was announced on Thursday morning when the defendants were brought before the court by the police for the continuation of the hearing.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the Kwara State Ministry of Justice declared its intention to take over the prosecution of Abdulrahman Bello and his alleged accomplices.

The Ministry’s legal representative, Barrister Issa Zakare, informed the court that legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had been issued, affirming that Bello had a case to answer.

Zakare further stated that Bello would be formally arraigned before the High Court.

The counsel representing the family of the deceased, Barrister Hussein Folorunsho, did not oppose the Ministry’s application but insisted that justice must be served for Hafsoh and her family.

Presiding Magistrate Sanusi Muhammad adjourned the case till March 20 and ordered that the defendants remain in Okekura Custodial Centre.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigeria Police Force arraigned Abdulrahman Mohad and four others for allegedly luring Hafsoh to her death under false pretenses.

The gruesome incident occurred on Monday, February 10, 2025, after the student received a phone call while attending a naming ceremony and mysteriously disappeared.

Her family and friends launched a frantic search before reporting her disappearance to the police at Oja Oba Station in Ilorin the following day.

Police investigators, using Hafsoh’s phone records, traced her last known call to Abdulrahman Mohad, leading to his arrest.

The suspect, who resides in the Offa Garage area of Ilorin but has family ties in Isalekoto, was subsequently taken into custody along with four others accused of aiding him in committing the heinous crime.

The other suspects arrested include 41-year-old Islamic scholar Ahmed Abulwasiu from Adualere, Ilorin; 28-year-old Neo Life business operator Sulaiman Muhydeen from Amilegbe, Ilorin; 29-year-old phone repairer Jamiu Uthman from Adualere, Ilorin; and 31-year-old farmer AbdulRahman Jamiu from Elemere, Malete.

According to the police First Information Report (FIR), the suspects confessed to belonging to the same occult group and admitted to robbing and killing Hafsoh for ritual purposes.

However, in a video seen by SaharaReporters, Abdulrahman Mohad attempted to exonerate his co-accused, claiming sole responsibility for the murder.

“I am the only one that killed her. These other people were not there,” he declared.

With the case now adjourned till March 20, the accused remain in detention at the Okekura Correctional Facility, awaiting their next court appearance.