Murder suspect tells court he posed as another man on WhatsApp to negotiate ₦1.5m sex deal with Augusta, claims discovery left him shaking

Benjamin Nnayerugo, popularly known as Killaboi, has told a Lagos State High Court how conversations he allegedly discovered on his late girlfriend Augusta Onuwaghagbe’s Instagram account led him to suspect she was negotiating sex for money, triggering an emotional confrontation between them which eventually led to her brutal murder.

Nnayerugo, who is standing trial over the alleged murder of Augusta, recounted the events while testifying before Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Igbosere division.

According to the defendant, his suspicions began after he accessed Augusta’s Instagram account and noticed conversations with people who were not among her friends on the platform. He alleged that some of the messages had been deleted.

He told the court that what initially appeared to be ordinary conversations about club invitations and enquiries about Augusta’s welfare later took a different turn when he encountered an exchange involving an account identified as “Yako”.

Nnayerugo traced the events to late June 2023, when he reportedly lost a sports bet and became moody. He said Augusta had tried to console him, reminding him that he had previously won larger sums and should not allow the loss to discourage him.

However, he said her efforts did little to improve his mood.

According to his testimony, Augusta left the following day to return to school, while he continued monitoring her Instagram account, to which he had access.

He told the court that he monitored the account for about a week without discovering anything he considered suspicious.

The situation reportedly changed when Augusta informed him that she planned to visit Lagos for the weekend. Nnayerugo said he agreed to the visit but intended to log out of her account before she arrived so she would not discover that he had been monitoring her conversations.

He alleged that a day before her planned visit, he stumbled on a conversation in which the account holder, identified as Yako, addressed Augusta affectionately and suggested that they continue communicating on Instagram after deactivating his Snapchat account.

The exchange allegedly progressed to arrangements for a visit to Lagos, with the sender asking when Augusta would be available.

Nnayerugo told the court that Augusta indicated she could come whenever he wanted, after which the conversation reportedly shifted to money.

According to him, Augusta refused to reduce the amount she quoted, while the other party complained about the prolonged discussion and suggested moving to WhatsApp.

How Killaboi allegedly posed as another man

Nnayerugo said the conversation prompted him to investigate further. He testified that he took the phone number shared in the exchange, obtained a virtual SIM card and created a WhatsApp account using the name and profile picture associated with Yako.

He then allegedly continued the conversation while pretending to be the man behind the Instagram account.

The defendant told the court that he asked Augusta to state her price again, and she reportedly demanded ₦1.5 million.

He claimed he offered ₦800,000, but she rejected the amount, explaining that the arrangement would expose her to considerable risk.

Nnayerugo said he subsequently asked whether their proposed meeting would take place in a hotel or an apartment. According to his account, Augusta indicated that either location was acceptable, provided he supplied the address.

He said he increased his offer to ₦1 million, but she allegedly rejected it again before he eventually agreed to the ₦1.5 million demand.

The defendant further claimed that he suggested having sex without a condom, proposing that they undergo medical tests beforehand. He told the court that Augusta accepted the proposal.

By then, Nnayerugo said, he had become convinced that the exchange concerned sex in return for payment, although he initially claimed he did not fully understand the purpose of the money being discussed.

He described his reaction as one of extreme emotional distress, telling the court that he was shaking and felt as though he was experiencing a breakdown.

‘I decided to end the relationship’

Nnayerugo said he briefly considered involving a friend to transfer the money and arranging a hotel meeting where he could confront Augusta face-to-face.

He, however, claimed he abandoned the idea because he saw no reason to spend such a large sum merely to establish whether his girlfriend had been unfaithful.

Instead, he decided to end the relationship and confront her about the conversations.

According to his testimony, he initiated a video call with Augusta, who allegedly screamed and dropped the phone after seeing him on the screen.

He said he confronted her about the messages, told her he knew what she had been discussing and declared that their relationship was over. He also threatened to inform her mother about what he had discovered.

The defendant subsequently attempted to contact Augusta’s mother, whom he described as a close figure in their relationship.

He told the court that they shared a cordial relationship, that she regularly prayed for him and that he sometimes attended her church.

Nnayerugo said he made several attempts to reach her over approximately 20 minutes before they eventually spoke.

He claimed he explained what he had discovered on Augusta’s Instagram account and informed her that he had decided to end the relationship.

However, the conversation reportedly took an unexpected turn when Augusta’s mother questioned his decision to access her daughter’s account.

According to Nnayerugo, she told him that accessing the account was wrong and amounted to a criminal offence.

He said her response angered him because he had called to explain the breakup rather than discuss how he obtained access to the account.

Although she reportedly offered to speak with Augusta, he maintained that this was not the purpose of his call and ended the conversation.

Court considers emotional impact of video evidence

Proceedings later turned to a video recording the defence intended to present in court.

Defence counsel Marcel Oru expressed concern about playing the footage in the presence of Augusta’s mother and brother, saying he did not want to subject the deceased’s relatives to further emotional distress.

He asked Justice Harrison to consider allowing the family members to leave the courtroom while the recording was played, with only the lawyers involved in the case remaining present.

Prosecuting counsel Adebayo Araba did not object to the proposal, describing it as a good arrangement.

Oru clarified that the recording had not yet been formally tendered as evidence, explaining that his request was intended to prevent further emotional pain for Augusta’s family.

Justice Harrison indicated that the proposal could be considered if both sides reached an agreement.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case until 10 a.m. today for the continuation of proceedings.

Nnayerugo’s testimony forms part of his defence in the trial over Augusta’s alleged murder. His account of the Instagram and WhatsApp exchanges remains his version of events and does not, on its own, establish the circumstances surrounding her death or determine his criminal responsibility.

The court is expected to assess the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence before reaching a verdict.