Ilorin — Six months after he was sentenced to death by hanging for the brutal murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, Abdulrahman Bello has quietly taken his case to the Court of Appeal, in a move that could reopen one of Kwara State’s most shocking criminal trials in recent history.
KaabaNews reliably gathered that Bello, who was convicted by a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, has some powerful individuals behind him and working to free him. It was also gathered that in his correctional centre in Ilorin, we gathered that Bello enjoys some privileges and concessions just as attempts have been made to take him off the Ilorin Correctional center.
Sources familiar with the appeal process say Bello is seeking to have the judgment overturned, possibly on technical and legal grounds. By law, the filing of an appeal automatically suspends the execution of the death sentence until the Court of Appeal delivers its ruling.
Now, Bello has filed an appeal challenging both his conviction and the capital punishment handed down to him.
Bello was found guilty of killing the 24-year-old Hafsoh, a promising young woman whose death sparked outrage across Kwara and beyond. The trial court ruled that the murder was deliberate and gruesome, leading to his sentence of death by hanging.
Legal experts note that while Bello has the constitutional right to appeal, such cases rarely succeed unless major errors are found in the original trial. Nevertheless, the move means the case is far from over.
As the appellate court prepares to review the matter, Nigerians are once again watching closely, hoping that the memory of Hafsoh Lawal will not be lost in legal delays and legal twist.
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