The trial of alleged murderer Nnayereugo Nnamdi,
popularly known as Killaboi, continued at the Lagos State High Court sitting in
Igbosere, as the first prosecution witness narrated how the family of the late
Augusta Onuwabhagbe discovered her body at her boyfriend’s residence in Ajah.
Testifying before Justice Ibironke Harrison, the
witness, Mr. Reginald Okonye—an uncle to the deceased—explained that the family
became worried after Augusta stopped answering phone calls from her mother and
brother for about two to three days in July 2023.
Led in evidence by the Lagos State Director of Public
Prosecution, Babajide Martins, Okonye told the court that although Augusta
responded to WhatsApp messages, she consistently refused to answer calls, which
raised suspicions.
He said the family later contacted her roommate at
Lead City University in Ibadan, who helped them trace Augusta to her
boyfriend’s residence in the Ajah area of Lagos.
According to the witness, the family, accompanied by a
security officer and a friend, travelled to the boyfriend’s residence located
in Oral Estate, Ikota, Ajah.
Upon arrival, they found Augusta’s car parked outside
the building with the key placed on the bonnet. Despite repeatedly calling her
name, there was no response from inside the house.
Estate security officials initially refused them
access, but eventually allowed them in after persuasion. When they still could
not enter the locked building, they reported the matter to the Nigeria Police
Force station in Ajah, which sent two officers to assist them.
With the help of a ladder, the witness climbed through
an open upstairs window alongside a police officer.
Using the flashlight on his phone, Okonye said he saw
Augusta’s lifeless body lying in a thick pool of blood inside the room.
Despite the body being slightly bloated, he said he
immediately recognized his niece. To avoid alarming Augusta’s mother, he
decided not to reveal the discovery immediately and instead tried to calm her.
Police later evacuated the body and deposited it in a
morgue around 2 a.m., he added.
The witness further told the court that the following
day he informed Augusta’s mother about the discovery. The case was later
transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti.
According to him, social media posts allegedly made by
the defendant later surfaced online, in which he reportedly confessed to
killing his girlfriend after a quarrel.
During the proceedings, the prosecution tendered
photographs of the victim’s body and the house where the incident occurred as
evidence. The defence counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Marcel Oru, reserved
objections at this stage, and the court admitted the images as exhibits.
Justice Harrison adjourned the case to March 5 for
continuation of the trial, with the victim’s mother expected to testify as the
next witness.
Background
Killaboi is accused of murdering his 21-year-old
girlfriend, Augusta Onuwabhagbe, at his residence in Oral Estate, Ikota, Ajah,
Lagos, on July 13, 2023.
Police said the suspect fled Nigeria after the
incident and was later declared wanted by the Lagos State Criminal
Investigation Department. An international arrest warrant was also issued
through INTERPOL.
He was first arrested in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in
October 2023 under a false identity but escaped custody during a prison break
the following month.
Authorities say he continued moving across several
regions—including West Africa, East Asia, and the Middle East—using forged
identities before eventually relocating to Doha, Qatar in January 2025.
Through collaboration between INTERPOL offices in
Abuja and Doha, his identity was confirmed using biometric technology, leading
to his arrest by Qatari authorities in February 2025 and eventual extradition
to Nigeria in April 2025.
In June 2025, the Lagos State Government filed a
two-count charge against him, including murder and indecent interference with
the corpse of Augusta Onuwabhagbe.
Killaboi pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was
arraigned before the court on November 17, 2025.
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