A Lagos High Court sitting in the JIC Taylor Courthouse, in the Igbosere area, has adjourned till May 21 and 22, for further cross-examination of the mother of Augusta Onuwaghagbe, the 21-year-old who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend, Benjamin Nnayereugo, also known as ‘Killaboi’.

The cross-examination by counsel for the defendant and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Marcel Oru, had begun on Wednesday, April 21.

It continued on Thursday, April 22, with a few questions put to the witness, 56-year-old Cordelia Onuwaghagbe.

Before Justice Ibironke Harrison, the witness was asked whether the defendant’s family reached out to her after the death of her daughter.

She testified that someone reached out to her shortly after the defendant was arrested in Sierra Leone, claiming to be his father.

Mrs. Onuwaghagbe said that the person had asked her to come and see the family so the matter could be settled, but she added that she refused this request, insisting instead that any discussion would be after Killaboi’s extradition to Nigeria.

‎She also said that at some point, she was in contact with the defendant, who sent $1,530 to her account after the death of her daughter.

‎She further testified that the defendant opened a crypto account for her daughter before she died, but said the money used to open the account belonged to the daughter.

The witness also testified that she was not aware that the defendant sent money for the burial of the late Augusta.

‎The case was, however, stalled after a few questions owing to a power outage in the court, which prevented the defendant’s counsel from playing some electronic evidence in proof of his case, for the court’s viewing.

Killaboi was accused of killing Augusta at his Ajah residence in Lagos on July 13, 2023, before fleeing the country.

He was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in October 2023, with an INTERPOL Red Notice subsequently issued for his arrest.

He was first apprehended in Sierra Leone under a false identity but escaped during a prison break in November 2023.

Authorities said he continued to evade capture across multiple regions using forged identities, eventually relocating to Doha, Qatar, in January 2025.

His identity was confirmed through international collaboration and biometric verification, leading to his arrest in Qatar in February 2025 and his extradition to Nigeria in April 2025.

The Lagos State Government, in June 2025, filed a two-count charge against him, including alleged indecent interference with the victim’s corpse and murder.

However, he pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in November 2025. (Channels News)

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