The Lagos State High Court sitting in Igbosere on Thursday admitted into evidence the written statement and video recording of interrogation of Benjamin Nnayereugo, popularly known as “Killaboi,” who is standing trial for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Augusta Onuwabhagbe.
The prosecution, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Adedayo Haroun, presented the evidence through an investigating police officer from the State Criminal Investigation Department, DSP Oderinde Gafar, after concluding the testimony of the deceased’s mother, Mrs. Cordelia Onuwabhagbe.
DSP Gafar told Justice Ibironke Harrison that the defendant was arrested in Qatar through coordinated international efforts and later extradited to Nigeria for prosecution. He also informed the court that Nnayereugo voluntarily wrote his statement during interrogation, which was later tendered and admitted in evidence without objection. A video recording of the interrogation was also played in open court.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr. Marcel Oru (SAN), the witness was questioned on the circumstances under which the statement was made before being discharged.
The prosecution informed the court that it had concluded the testimonies of both the investigating officer and the deceased’s mother, with only one witness remaining before closing its case. The matter was adjourned to June 17 and 18, 2026, for continuation of trial.
Earlier, Mrs. Cordelia Onuwabhagbe had told the court that she once regarded the defendant as part of her family and never imagined he could harm her daughter. She said he frequently visited her home, ate, rested, and even slept there, and had also attended her church on two occasions, giving her the impression that he was a good person.
She testified that Augusta, who was 21 years, 5 months, 10 days, and 11 hours old at the time of her death, had travelled with the defendant to Mauritius in 2021 and Seychelles in 2022. She said the Seychelles trip marked the beginning of physical abuse against her daughter.
According to her account, the defendant claimed a dispute occurred after he found Augusta recording videos of herself, which she intended to post online. She said he broke her phone and later sent her a video from his own device. However, she insisted her daughter was only filming content for work and was not involved in inappropriate behaviour.
The defence counsel suggested that Augusta was involved in indecent online content, a claim the witness firmly rejected. She also denied allegations that her daughter destroyed hotel property during the trip.
Mrs. Onuwabhagbe further told the court that the defendant once sent her an image of a stab wound allegedly caused by Augusta, but she believed it was actually inflicted when he stabbed her daughter repeatedly in the stomach during the incident that led to her death.
She added that the defendant had previously spent about N10 million on a birthday celebration for Augusta, buying her expensive gifts such as designer bags, jewellery, and an iPhone. However, she said the phone was taken back after her daughter was killed.
The witness also stated that before Augusta’s death, the defendant never informed her that the relationship had ended or accused her daughter of prostitution. She said such claims only emerged after the killing.
Mrs. Onuwabhagbe dismissed allegations that Augusta’s former boyfriend, Marvin, ended their relationship due to infidelity, saying even if true, it did not justify her daughter’s murder.
She admitted receiving some money from the defendant on a few occasions, including N60,000, N100,000, N15,000, and N1 million, which she transferred into a cooperative account due to fear over the large sum. She also said she later forwarded part of the money to an informant after learning the suspect had fled to Sierra Leone.
The court was further informed of the defendant’s evasion after the alleged killing on July 13, 2023, at his Ajah residence in Lagos. He was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force SCID, and an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued.
He was first arrested in Sierra Leone but escaped during a prison break in November 2023 before fleeing across multiple countries under false identities. He was later tracked to Qatar, arrested in February 2025 through biometric verification, and extradited to Nigeria in April 2025.
The Lagos State Government subsequently filed a two-count charge against him in June 2025, including murder and indecent interference with a corpse. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in November 2025.
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