The Lagos State Government on Wednesday began the trial of Benjamin Best Nnayereugo, popularly called “Killaboi,” over the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Augusta Onuwabhagbe.
Nnayereugo, who was earlier arraigned on November 17, 2025, before the Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere, pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge filed against him.
The charges accuse him of stabbing Augusta to death and allegedly interfering with her corpse by cutting open her stomach and removing body parts.
Prosecutors said the alleged offences violate Sections 165 and 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
During the hearing, the prosecution presented its first witness, Reginald Okonye, who is also the Regional Head of Sales for West and Central Africa at Siemens Energy.
Okonye narrated how the family discovered Augusta’s body at Nnayereugo’s residence in Oral Estate, Ajah.
“My niece’s mother reported that she had not been able to reach Augusta for three days. Her brother was also worried, so we contacted her roommate at the Lead City University, who advised that we check Benjamin’s residence,” he told the court.
He explained that when the family arrived at the estate, they were initially denied entry, but police officers later accompanied them into the compound.
“We eventually entered through an upstairs window using a ladder, and that was when I saw Augusta lying lifeless in a pool of blood,” he said.
Okonye added that he intentionally avoided raising an alarm immediately so as not to cause distress to Augusta’s mother.
“I deliberately refrained from shouting to avoid alarming my sister. The police later evacuated the body around 2 a.m. and took it to the morgue,” he added.
He further told the court that he saw social media posts allegedly made by the defendant in which he confessed to killing Augusta following a disagreement.
The prosecution tendered photographs of the deceased and the Ajah residence as evidence, which were admitted by Justice Ibironke Harrison after the defence counsel, Senior Advocate Marcel Oru, reserved his objections.
The court adjourned the case until March 5 for continuation of the trial, when Augusta’s mother is expected to testify.
Nnayereugo had earlier been declared wanted on October 13, 2023, after the incident. An international arrest alert was later issued, leading to his arrest in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on October 20, 2023.
Authorities said he escaped during a prison break before later travelling under forged identities.
He was eventually rearrested in Doha, Qatar, in February 2025 and extradited to Nigeria in April 2025 to face trial.
Outside the courtroom, correctional officers shielded the defendant from journalists as he was escorted out, while the case continues to attract widespread public attention.
