Mrs. Cordelia Okonye, the mother of a lady, Augusta Onuwabhagbe who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend Benjamin Best Nnayereugo, popularly known as Killaboi, on Thursday broke down in tears in the court room as she recounted how she discovered that her daughter had been killed.
A distraught, Mrs. Okonye testified while being led in evidence by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr. Babajide Martins, before Justice Ibironke Harrison of a Lagos High court, Igbosere.
The 56-year-old civil servant told the court that she has two children, “My name is Cordelia Okonye. I am 56 years old and a civil servant. I have two children, a boy and a girl.”
“My first son is 26 years old, while my late daughter was supposed to be 24 years old, but she was murdered.”
The second prosecution witness identified the defendant in the dock as Benjamin Best Nnayereugo, also known as Killaboi.
She told the court that her daughter first informed her about the relationship in 2021.
According to her, Augusta sent her a message on December 1, 2021, stating that she had started a romantic relationship with the defendant.
“As a single mother trying to be careful, I asked her to bring him home, which she did. She said she loved him, so I accepted him not just as someone interested in my daughter but as a son,” Mrs. Okonye said.
The mother of the deceased added that the defendant frequently visited their home even while Augusta was studying at Lead City University, Ibadan, where she was in her 400-level studying Medical Laboratory Science and maintaining a first-class academic record.
The witness said the relationship later showed signs of violence during a vacation the lovers took in November 2022.
Augusta had informed her that they planned to travel on November 22, 2022.
.According to her, “When she told me they were travelling, I asked Benjamin where he got the money. He said it was from sports betting. I advised him to invest the money, but he said he had kept some with his uncle.”
Mrs. Okonye alleged that about seven days into the trip, the defendant violently assaulted her daughter.
“Seven days into their vacation, he mercilessly beat her,” she said.
Mrs. Okonye told the court that although the defendant did not record the alleged assault, he recorded a video of Augusta angrily throwing pillows at him and calling him wicked, which he later forwarded to her.
According to her, when the couple returned from the trip, the defendant came to their home to apologise.
“He came to the house and begged me and my son. He promised that what happened would never repeat itself and said he was not a violent person,” the witness narrated.
“He also told Augusta that if he ever raised his hand to beat her again, she should walk out of the relationship.”
Mrs. Okonye said her daughter later pleaded with the family to forgive him and allow the relationship to continue.
She further told the court that events took a disturbing turn in July 2023.
She said that on July 11, 2023, the defendant called her between 9.00p.m. and 10:00 p.m., accusing Augusta of planning to cheat on him.
“He claimed that since they started the relationship Augusta had never cheated on him, but that she was planning to do so.”
She told the court that the defendant said he had impersonated another person online and invited Augusta to Lagos to test her loyalty.
“I told him I did not raise my daughter like that,” Mrs. Okonye said.
After the call ended, Augusta contacted her and complained that the defendant had taken over her Instagram account because she was an influencer.
“She asked me to tell him to release it and said the relationship would end that day,” the witness said.
Mrs. Okonye said she later called the defendant and he eventually returned the account. However, she said Augusta later sent her a troubling voice message that same night.
“She said, “Mummy, I don’t know. Benjamin has been threatening me. He swore by his mother’s grave that he was going to show me.”
The mother said she became worried days later when she could no longer reach her daughter, adding that on July 15, 2023, her son asked when she last spoke with Augusta.
“I told him I had been chatting with her, but when I called her that morning, her phone rang and she did not pick,” she said.
Afterwards, her son advised that they should check the defendant’s residence.
Since she did not know the address, they contacted Augusta’s friend, Oyindamola, who helped them locate the house at Oral Estate, Ajah.
“My brother, myself, Oyindamola and a military officer went to the estate.
The officer explained to the gate men that we had been calling her but she was not responding, so they allowed us in,” the witness said.
She told the court that when they arrived at the residence, the gate was locked but her daughter’s car was parked outside.
“At first I thought they had gone out with Benjamin’s (defendant) car,” she told the court.
She expects that they later reported the matter at the Ajah division of the Nigeria Police Force, where a female officer was assigned to accompany them back to the house.
“When we entered the compound, we noticed that all the windows were open but the air conditioner was on. We also saw my daughter’s key on the bonnet of the car,” Augusta mother said.
Because the doors were locked, they obtained a ladder to access the building.
Mrs. Okonye said “My brother climbed the ladder because the police officer was not proactive. He used a torchlight because it was dark.”
The witness said her brother did not immediately reveal what he saw inside.
“He drove us back home and said the next day we would go and look for Augusta.”
Mrs. Okonye broke down in tears as she described the moment she later learned about the development.
“On July 16, 2023, I started calling my brother that we should go and look for Augusta. In the afternoon, after the arrival of my daughter’s godmother, my brother broke the news that Augusta was dead,” the witness said.
She explained to the court that the defendant later posted a message online claiming responsibility for the killing.
“On July 17, 2023, Benjamin went online and said he had a heated argument with his girlfriend and mistakenly stabbed her to death,” she testified.
“He said nobody should pity him and that he would turn himself in to the police.”
The witness said the defendant later contacted her through messages explaining what happened.
“I told him there was nothing my daughter did that should make you kill her,” she recalled.
“At one point he sent me an emoji and said I should be strong and that he would take care of me.”
“I told him a mistake is stabbing someone once and rushing the person to the hospital, even if she eventually dies. But you stabbed her and ran away. That was premeditated.”
The witness also alleged that the defendant later threatened to release a sex tape of her daughter.
“He told me that if he released it to the public it would not be good for me as a pastor. I asked him if that was how much he loved her.”
Nnayereugo, also known as Killaboi, is standing trial for allegedly killing his 21-year-old girlfriend.
According to the Nigeria Police Force, the defendant allegedly murdered the victim at his residence at No. 24A Abiola Apooyan Street, Oral Estate, Ikota, Ajah, Lagos, on July 13, 2023, before fleeing the country.
Police said he later posted an online video purportedly confessing to the crime, which authorities described as a deceptive tactic aimed at derailing the investigation.
He was subsequently declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department on October 13, 2023, while an Interpol Red Notice was issued for his global apprehension.
Investigators said the suspect was first arrested in Freetown, Sierra Leone on October 20, 2023, under the false identity “Kanu Princeton Samuel.”
However, he escaped custody during a prison break in Freetown on November 26, 2023.
Police said he continued to evade law enforcement, travelling across several regions including West Africa, East Asia and the Middle East using forged identities.
He was eventually traced to Doha, Qatar, where he allegedly operated under the alias “Toure Abdoulaye” using a fraudulent Guinean passport.
The police said through international cooperation and biometric verification, INTERPOL National Central Bureau Abuja working with INTERPOL National Central Bureau Doha confirmed his identity, leading to his arrest by Qatari authorities in February 2025.
An extradition request processed through the Federal Ministry of Justice Nigeria was subsequently approved by the Qatari judicial authorities, resulting in his repatriation to Nigeria in April 2025.
In June 2025, the Lagos State Government filed a two-count charge against him before the Lagos High Court.
According to the first count, he is accused of indecent interference with the corpse of Augusta Onuwabhagbe by allegedly cutting open her stomach and removing body parts, contrary to Section 165 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Iin the second count, he is charged with the murder of Augusta Onuwabhagbe by allegedly stabbing her with a knife, an offence contrary to Section 222 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
During his arraignment on November 17, 2025, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During Wednesday proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that several videos and chat messages forming part of its electronic evidence had only been served on the defence the previous day.
The counsel to the defendant asked for time to study the materials.
Justice Harrison adjourned the case until April 22 and 23, 2026, for continuation of trial.
