The Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, (TBS), will today decide the fate of a Danish man, Peter Nielsen, accused of killing his Nigerian wife Zainab and three-and-a-half-year-old daughter Petra.

Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile fixed the date on March 1, 2022, after taking the submissions and adopting the final written addresses of the prosecution and the defence.

The Lagos State Government accused Nielsen, now 57, of smothering her and their daughter to death at about 3:45am, on April 5, 2018, at No. 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi.

He pleaded not guilty, following which trial commenced.

During the trial, the court heard that Zainab and Petra died of head injuries and asphyxia (or suffocation) that were not self-inflicted.

A Consultant Pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa, told Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile that his post-mortem examination of Zainab’s body suggested that she was killed when her nose and mouth were forcibly closed which deprived her of oxygen.

Obafunwa said evidence showed the deceased struggled to free herself from her killer’s grip using her hands and nails.

In his defence, Nielsen affirmed his testimony that he did not kill both Zainab and Petra.