Benjamin Nnayerugo, popularly known as Killaboi, has told a Lagos State High Court that he allegedly discovered Instagram messages in which his late girlfriend, Augusta Onuwaghagbe, was discussing a sexual encounter with another man for N1.5 million.
Nnayerugo, who is standing trial over Augusta’s death, gave the account while testifying in his defence before Justice Ibironke Harrison at the Lagos State High Court, TBS Annex, Igbosere.
He told the court that the alleged discovery left him emotionally distressed and prompted him to confront Augusta during a video call.
According to the defendant, the incident began in late June 2023 after he lost money on a sports bet and became upset.
He said Augusta had attempted to comfort him by reminding him of previous betting successes and encouraging him, but her efforts failed to improve his mood.
Nnayerugo said Augusta later returned to school, adding that he had access to her Instagram account and continued monitoring her conversations after she left.
He told the court that he noticed she regularly exchanged messages with accounts belonging to people who were not her friends on the platform, with some of the conversations subsequently deleted.
The defendant said he monitored the account for about a week and came across messages concerning invitations to clubs and enquiries about Augusta’s well-being.
He added that they later agreed that she could visit Lagos for the weekend.
Nnayerugo told the court that he intended to log out of her Instagram account before her arrival to prevent her from discovering that he had been monitoring her conversations.
However, he said that a day before the planned visit, he noticed a message from an account identified as “Yako”.
According to him, the sender addressed Augusta as “sweetheart”, explained that he had deactivated his Snapchat account and suggested continuing their conversation on Instagram.
The defendant said the sender asked Augusta when she would visit Lagos, to which she allegedly replied that she could come whenever he wanted.
He further claimed that their conversation progressed to a discussion about payment, during which Augusta allegedly insisted that she would not lower her price.
Nnayerugo said the sender subsequently requested her WhatsApp number to enable them to continue the discussion on the messaging platform.
He told the court that he became suspicious and decided to investigate the exchange using the phone number provided in the conversation.
According to him, he obtained a virtual SIM card, created a WhatsApp account using the name and profile picture associated with “Yako”, and contacted Augusta while pretending to be the man.
The defendant said he asked her to remind him of the amount she wanted, and she allegedly demanded N1.5 million.
He told the court that he offered N800,000, but she allegedly rejected the proposal, explaining that she was taking a significant risk.
Nnayerugo said he subsequently asked whether their proposed meeting would take place in a hotel or an apartment. He alleged that Augusta indicated that either location was acceptable, provided he sent the address.
He added that he later offered N1 million, which she allegedly turned down, before he agreed to pay the N1.5 million she had requested.
The defendant further claimed that he proposed having sex without a condom, provided both parties underwent medical tests beforehand, and that Augusta agreed.
He told the court that the exchange eventually convinced him that the discussion concerned a sexual encounter for payment, although he had initially been unsure about the purpose of the money.
Nnayerugo said he became so distressed during the conversation that he was shaking and experiencing an emotional breakdown.
He told the court that he initially considered sending the money through a friend and arranging a hotel meeting where he could confront Augusta.
However, he said he later abandoned the plan, reasoning that he did not need to spend such an amount to establish that his girlfriend was allegedly cheating on him.
The defendant said he subsequently decided to end the relationship and confront Augusta with the messages he claimed to have discovered.
According to him, he initiated a video call, which Augusta answered, but she screamed and dropped the phone after seeing him.
Nnayerugo said he confronted her over the alleged arrangement, told her he knew what she had been doing and informed her that their relationship was over.
He also told the court that he threatened to inform Augusta’s mother about what he had discovered.
The defendant said he shared a close relationship with her mother, who had supported their relationship, regularly prayed for him and attended a church he sometimes visited.
He said he initially could not reach her for about 20 minutes but eventually explained the messages he had allegedly found and informed her that he had ended the relationship.
According to Nnayerugo, Augusta’s mother questioned his decision to access her daughter’s account, telling him that the action was wrong and constituted a criminal offence.
He said he was angered by her response, explaining that his intention had been to inform her about the breakup rather than discuss how he accessed the account.
The defendant added that Augusta’s mother indicated she would speak with her daughter, but he reiterated that this was not the reason for his call before ending the conversation.
Earlier in the proceedings, defence counsel, Marcel Oru, asked the court to excuse Augusta’s mother and brother from the courtroom during the planned playback of a video recording.
Oru said the request was intended to spare the deceased’s relatives additional emotional distress while the recording was being played.
Prosecution counsel, Adebayo Araba, did not oppose the request.
The defence lawyer, however, clarified that the recording had not yet been tendered in evidence and that his application was aimed at preventing further emotional pain for the deceased’s family.
Justice Harrison subsequently adjourned the case to Thursday, October 22.
Nnayerugo is standing trial over Augusta’s death. The allegations concerning her private communications were made by the defendant during his testimony and have not, by themselves, been established as facts by the court.
(TVC)
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