The murder trial of Benjamin Best Nnayereugo, popularly known as “Killaboi,” remains one of Nigeria’s most closely watched homicide cases, combining an intimate relationship, the discovery of a young woman’s body inside a Lagos residence, an international manhunt and a courtroom battle over what happened before the death.
Prosecutors accuse Nnayereugo of killing 21-year-old Augusta Onuwabhagbe and interfering with her remains before fleeing Nigeria. After being tracked across borders and extradited from Qatar, he is now defending himself before the Lagos State High Court. Channels Television
The Lagos murder trial of Benjamin Best Nnayereugo, better known online as Killaboi, has unfolded through months of emotional family testimony, police evidence and competing accounts of how his girlfriend, Augusta Onuwabhagbe, died.
Augusta, a 21-year-old university student, was found dead inside Nnayereugo’s residence in the Ajah area of Lagos in July 2023.
The Lagos State Government is prosecuting Nnayereugo on two counts involving murder and alleged indecent interference with a corpse.
The prosecution alleges that Augusta was stabbed and that her body was subsequently interfered with.
Nnayereugo pleaded not guilty.
Family’s Search Ended at Boyfriend’s Home
One of the prosecution’s earliest witnesses was Augusta’s uncle, Reginald Okonye, who described the family’s growing concern after they were unable to properly communicate with her.
The search eventually led relatives and police officers to Nnayereugo’s residence in Oral Estate, Ajah.
A police inspector later told the court how Augusta’s decomposing body was discovered inside the property.
Inspector Odunayo Oloye testified that police became involved after Augusta’s mother reported that she had been unable to reach her daughter following an alleged disagreement between Augusta and her boyfriend.
The prosecution later closed its case after calling witnesses, while the defence subsequently opened its own case.
International Manhunt
The proceedings are also remarkable because Nnayereugo was not arrested immediately after Augusta’s death.
Authorities declared him wanted and an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued.
He was reportedly apprehended in Sierra Leone under another identity, but escaped during a prison break before later moving through other jurisdictions.
Investigators eventually located him in Qatar.
His identity was confirmed through international law-enforcement cooperation and biometric verification, after which he was arrested and returned to Nigeria to face prosecution.
The Lagos High Court has since admitted both his written statement and a video recording of his interrogation into evidence.
An investigating police officer testified about the process that led to his arrest in Doha and subsequent extradition. Radio Nigeria Lagos
Defence Opens Its Case
The defence opened its case in July.
Its first witness, lawyer Babs Anipasa, told the court that Nnayereugo had sought advice after Augusta’s death and was allegedly afraid to surrender because of public hostility and social-media reports surrounding the case.
According to the witness, he advised Nnayereugo to turn himself in and attempted to facilitate contact with senior police authorities.
The defence account is intended to challenge aspects of the prosecution narrative surrounding the defendant’s conduct after Augusta’s death. The Guardian Nigeria
That issue could become important because prosecutors may invite the court to consider flight or attempts to evade arrest as part of the surrounding circumstances, while the defence is seeking to provide an alternative explanation.
Ultimately, however, the central question remains much narrower: has the Lagos State Government proved beyond reasonable doubt that Nnayereugo murdered Augusta and committed the other offence charged?
Public outrage, online statements and the dramatic international search cannot substitute for proof in court.
The answer will depend on the evidence admitted before Justice Ibironke Harrison and the credibility the court attaches to the witnesses on both sides.
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