Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court, sitting in Igbosere, has adjourned further hearing in the trial of Benjamin Nnayereugo, popularly known as Killaboi, until March 5 after the prosecution opened its case with 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 nearly two years on the run and being apprehended in Doha, Qatar, pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in November 2025.
He is standing trial on a two-count charge of murder and alleged indecent interference with a corpse.
The prosecution alleges that he cut open the stomach of the deceased and removed body parts.
The offences reportedly contravene Sections 165 and 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, 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 despite ongoing WhatsApp conversations.
According to him, a friend of the deceased, Oyindamola, led them to the defendant’s semi-detached duplex in Oral Estate, Ikota, Ajah.
Although Augusta’s car was parked within the compound and they repeatedly called out to her, they could not gain access to the building.
The witness said the matter was reported at a nearby police station and officers later returned with them armed with a search warrant.
Okonye testified that he rented a ladder, climbed to the upper floor and gained entry into the apartment, where he found his niece lying lifeless, bloated and in a pool of blood.
He said the police subsequently secured the scene and moved the body to the mortuary, while he escorted his sister away.
He further told the court that several personal belongings of the deceased were recovered from the apartment.
He identified photographs of the residence and images of Augusta presented as exhibits in court.
Lead defence counsel, Marcel Oru (SAN), informed the court that objections to the admissibility of the exhibits would be reserved until a later stage of the proceedings.
Following a brief cross-examination, the witness was discharged, and the matter was adjourned for continuation of trial.
Written by Wahab Akinlade