Augusta Onuwabhagbe Murder Trial Continues Tomorrow After First Prosecution Witness Testifies
Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, has adjourned further hearing in the trial of Benjamin Nnayereugo, popularly known as Killaboi, till tomorrow, March 5, after the prosecution opened its case with the testimony of its first witness.
The Lagos State Government is prosecuting Nnayereugo over the alleged murder of 21-year-old Augusta Onuwabhagbe in July 2023.
Nnayereugo, who was extradited to Nigeria about ten months ago after spending two years on the run and eventually being apprehended in Doha, Qatar, had pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was arraigned in November 2025.
He is facing a two-count charge bordering on murder and alleged indecent interference with a corpse by reportedly cutting open the stomach of the deceased and removing body parts.
The offences are said to contravene Sections 165 and 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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At today’s proceedings, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Babajide Martins, called Reginald Okonye as the first prosecution witness.
Okonye told the court that on July 15, 2023, he accompanied his sister, Cordelia Okonye, mother of the deceased, to the residence of the defendant, who was Augusta’s boyfriend.
He said the mother had been unable to reach her daughter by phone, although they had been chatting on WhatsApp.
According to him, a friend of the deceased, Oyindamola, led them to the defendant’s semi-detached duplex located within Oral Estate, Ikota, Ajah.
Despite noticing Augusta’s car parked inside the compound and repeatedly calling her name, they were unable to gain access to the building.
The witness said they reported the matter at a nearby police station and later returned to the residence with officers armed with a search warrant.
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He added that he rented a ladder, climbed upstairs and gained entry into the apartment, where he found his niece lying lifeless, bloated and in a pool of blood.
He told the court that the police subsequently took over the scene and moved the body to the mortuary, while he escorted his sister away.
Okonye further testified that a search of the apartment uncovered several personal belongings of the deceased. He identified photographs of the house and images of Augusta as exhibits shown to him in court.
Lead defence counsel, Marcel Oru (SAN), informed the court that he would reserve his objections to the admissibility of the exhibits until a later stage.
Following a brief cross-examination, the witness was discharged.
