Emotions ran high at a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere as Cordelia Onuwabhagbe, mother of the late Augusta Onuwabhagbe, testified against the man accused of killing her daughter, Benjamin Nnayereugo.
During cross-examination before Justice Ibironke Harrison, the 56-year-old woman told the court she once regarded the defendant as a member of her family, unaware of what she described as his violent nature.
“Until this ugly incident that led to my daughter’s death, he was like a son to me. He came to my house, ate, rested, and slept, but I didn’t know he was a killer,” she said.
The witness said the defendant, popularly known as ‘Killaboi,’ frequently visited her home and was well received by the family.
She added that she only became aware of his alias after her daughter’s death.
She further told the court that the defendant attended her church on two occasions, reinforcing her belief at the time that he was a good person, a perception she now believes was deceptive.
While recounting events leading up to the incident, the grieving mother revealed that the defendant had taken her daughter on trips to Mauritius in 2021 and Seychelles in 2022.
According to her, it was during the Seychelles trip that the first instance of physical abuse occurred.
She testified that the couple spent about five days in Mauritius and nine days in Seychelles.
During their stay in Seychelles, a disagreement allegedly broke out after the defendant accused her daughter of recording videos of herself in revealing outfits.
“Benjamin told me that he broke her phone and then used his phone to do a video, which he sent to me,” she said.
“The cause of the fight was that she was videoing herself, but he was the same person who videod her for the job she went to do, and she posted it online.”
Responding to suggestions from defence counsel, Marcel Oru, that the dispute stemmed from the defendant’s disapproval of the videos, the witness maintained that her daughter’s attire was appropriate for her work.
She also dismissed claims that her daughter damaged hotel property during the altercation, stating that neither the defendant mentioned it nor was it evident in the video she received.
The witness rejected allegations that her daughter was violent, including claims that she inflicted a stab wound on the defendant.
Instead, she alleged that the injury occurred while the defendant was stabbing her daughter repeatedly.
The court also heard that the defendant had spent about N10 million on a birthday celebration for the deceased, purchasing luxury items including designer bags, jewellery, and an iPhone.
While acknowledging that she saw the gifts online, the witness claimed the defendant retrieved the phone after allegedly killing her daughter.
She further told the court that prior to her daughter’s death, the defendant never informed her that their relationship had ended or made allegations about her involvement in prostitution.
“It was after he killed her that he started saying that she had sex tapes with men,” she said.
Addressing claims about a former boyfriend identified as Marvin, the witness said she was aware of him but had no knowledge of any relationship with her daughter.
When asked whether the alleged infidelity could have caused the relationship breakdown, she replied: “I don’t know, but that’s no reason to kill my daughter.”
She also recounted a conversation with her daughter, who allegedly suspected the defendant of impersonating another man online due to trust issues.
On financial matters, the witness admitted receiving money from the defendant on a few occasions, including N60,000, N100,000, N15,000, and N1 million, the latter of which she said she transferred to a cooperative account out of fear.
She later used the N1 million to pay an informant who provided information about the defendant’s whereabouts after he fled Nigeria.
Justice Harrison adjourned the case to April 23, 2026, for continuation of cross-examination.
The defendant is accused of killing the 21-year-old at his residence in Ajah, Lagos, on July 13, 2023, before fleeing the country.
He was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force in October 2023, leading to an INTERPOL Red Notice.
Officials said he was first arrested in Sierra Leone under a false identity, but escaped during a prison break in November 2023.
He later evaded capture across several countries using forged identities before relocating to Doha, Qatar, in January 2025.
Through international collaboration and biometric verification, he was eventually arrested in Qatar in February 2025 and extradited to Nigeria in April 2025.
In June 2025, the Lagos State Government filed charges against him, including alleged murder and interference with the victim’s corpse.
He pleaded not guilty when arraigned in November 2025.
