Bello, found guilty of the crime, will face capital punishment, while four other suspects standing trial with him were discharged and acquitted.
An Ilorin cleric, Abdulrahman Bello, has been sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal, a final-year student of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday by Justice Hannah Olusola Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court after months of trial.
Bello, found guilty of the crime, will face capital punishment, while four other suspects standing trial with him were discharged and acquitted. They include Ahmed Abdulwasiu, 41; Suleiman Muyideen, 28; Jamiu Uthman, 29; and Abdulrahmon Jamiu, 31.
Justice Ajayi declared, “The evidence before the court has clearly established Bello’s culpability in the murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal.”
The case, which sparked outrage in Ilorin and beyond, had been closely monitored by rights groups and student unions demanding justice for the slain student.
The judgment is seen as a major milestone in the fight against violent crimes in Kwara State.