Former Senator representing Kwara Central, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, has expressed deep sorrow and outrage over the brutal murder of Lawal Yetunde Hafsoh, allegedly killed by a young cleric, Abdulrahman Moh’d Ballo, who is currently in police custody.
In a statement released through his media aide, Bolaji Aladie, Oloriegbe described the killing as “heartbreaking” and “a stark reminder of the moral decay and societal ills plaguing our community.” He extended his condolences to the bereaved family, particularly Hafsoh’s parents and siblings, praying for Almighty Allah to grant them strength in this difficult time.
“This heinous act, which involved the butchering of an innocent life, is a despicable crime that must be condemned in the strongest terms,” Oloriegbe stated. “It is a painful deviation from the values of humanity, spirituality, and communal harmony that our society holds dear.”
The former lawmaker lamented the rising cases of ritual killings and other criminal acts, stressing that the Ilorin Emirate must not allow the nefarious activities of a few individuals to tarnish its long-standing reputation for Islamic scholarship and spiritual devotion. He recalled his warning at the 2021 Annual Conference of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) about the moral decline among some so-called clerics.
“Ilorin Emirate was renowned and respected for her religiosity and erudition in Islamic knowledge generally. The fountain of the Emirate’s strength was derived from a very deep collective fervent spiritual devotion. Most depressingly, this glorious reverence is fast ebbing away because of the nefarious attitudes of our so-called Mallams who have deviated from the Islamic culture and tenets to paganism and cannibalism because of worldliness. Clerical avarice and insatiable quest for wealth, prominence, and power have almost totally replaced our progenitors’ heroic position of knowledge, contentment, humility, piety, and spiritual development.”
Oloriegbe called for immediate and decisive action to curb ritual killings and other crimes threatening the community’s peace. He urged collaboration between genuine Islamic scholars, community leaders, and security agencies to address these moral and spiritual challenges.
“This tragic incident underscores the urgency of restoring the values of piety, humility, and communal responsibility that once defined our Emirate,” he emphasized.
He further called on law enforcement authorities to fish out the collaborators involved in the crime whilst ensuring that justice is served swiftly, stating that “the perpetrator and his accomplices must face the full wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to others who may harbour such evil intentions.”
Oloriegbe also appealed to the people of Ilorin to remain vigilant and united in combating ritualism and criminality. “Let us honour the memory of Lawal Yetunde Hafsoh by working together to build a safer, more just, and morally upright society. May her soul rest in peace, and may Allah protect our community from further tragedies of this nature,” he concluded.
