Benjamin Nnayerugo, popularly known as Killaboi, on Thursday told a Lagos State High Court sitting at the J.I.C. Taylor Courthouse, Igbosere, that he accidentally stabbed his girlfriend, Augusta Onuwaghagbe, in the stomach while struggling to take a steak knife from her.
The defendant, who is standing trial for the alleged murder of the 21-year-old Lead City University undergraduate, told Justice Ibironke Harrison that the incident occurred after he allegedly insulted the deceased’s mother during an argument over messages he found on her phone.
Nnayerugo said Augusta had threatened to stab him for insulting her mother and had allegedly stabbed him twice in the hands before he attempted to wrest the knife from her.
According to him, the struggle ended with Augusta falling to the floor with a stab wound to her stomach.
The defendant gave the account while continuing his testimony under examination by his counsel, Marcel Oru, SAN.
Augusta, an online influencer, was found dead in the defendant’s apartment at Oral Estate, Ajah, Lagos, on July 15, 2023.
Nnayerugo was arraigned in November 2025 on a two-count charge to which he pleaded not guilty.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, the defendant recounted how the relationship deteriorated after he allegedly discovered that Augusta was arranging to meet another man for commercial sex.
He had told the court on Wednesday that he discovered the alleged arrangement after accessing her phone and subsequently confronted her, telling her that their six-year relationship was over.
He also said he contacted Augusta’s mother to inform her of his decision to end the relationship but terminated the call after she questioned why he had accessed her daughter’s phone.
While testifying on Thursday, Nnayerugo said he had a lengthy telephone conversation with Augusta on the night of July 11, 2025, which extended into the following morning, during which she told him she was no longer interested in the relationship.
He said he felt used and began recounting the money and gifts he had spent on her over the years.
“I started listing out all I had done for her since she said she had checked out from the relationship,” he told the court.
He said his spending included funding their trip to Seychelles in 2022, paying her school fees in January 2023 and spending about N20m on diamonds, an iPhone, AirPods and a private lounge for her birthday celebration in February 2023.
The defendant said he subsequently decided to recover the gifts he had purchased for her after concluding that she no longer wanted the relationship.
“I told her I never wanted to see her again and that we should talk on the phone instead. But she said it had to be face-to-face,” he recounted.
Nnayerugo said he eventually agreed to meet Augusta at his residence on July 12, 2025.
He told the court that while waiting for her, he received a text message from her mother stating that Augusta had known the man she was allegedly negotiating to meet for sex before she began dating him.
The defendant said he interpreted the message as an indication that Augusta’s mother was encouraging her conduct, adding that he found this surprising because of the money he claimed to have spent on the family and the mother’s status as a pastor.
According to him, Augusta arrived at his residence, and they smoked marijuana together before eating steak in his bedroom.
He said that after eating, he became sleepy and went to lie down on one of the beds in the room, while Augusta later joined him.
“I stood up and went to the other bed in my room,” he said, explaining that he did not want to cuddle with her.
Nnayerugo told the court that he later attempted to access Augusta’s WhatsApp messages with her mother but discovered that she had changed her password.
He said he returned the phone and went back to bed before getting up to play a video game downstairs.
The defendant said that the following morning, he remained determined to access her messages.
He alleged that he pretended to have a cough and asked Augusta to get him water from the refrigerator in the bedroom before snatching her phone as she turned away.
According to him, Augusta rushed at him and demanded that he return the device.
He said he checked the phone with his right hand while using his left hand to keep her away from him.
Nnayerugo claimed that he discovered messages in which Augusta’s mother allegedly advised her on what to tell him about the alleged relationship with the other man.
He also alleged that he saw a message in which her mother advised her to leave him because he could not tolerate her.
The defendant said he became angry and called Augusta’s mother a fake pastor, adding that he also insulted her.
He alleged that Augusta became furious, grabbed the steak knife from a table and threatened to stab him if he did not return her phone.
“She stabbed me twice on both hands as a result, but I still refused to release the phone,” he told the court.
Nnayerugo said he maintained that he had bought the phone and other gifts for Augusta and demanded that she return them.
He further alleged that she threatened to stab him in the chest and kill him for insulting her mother, prompting him to attempt to take the knife from her.
Describing the struggle, the defendant said they held on to opposite ends of the knife for about 10 minutes.
“We dragged the knife for about 10 minutes. She was holding on to the handle while I held the tip,” he said.
He told the court that he eventually managed to grab the handle but that Augusta was struck during the struggle and fell to the floor.
“It was then my eyes cleared. Blood came out from her stomach and her mouth,” he said.
The defendant said he tried to save her by removing the knife from her stomach and using a towel to cover the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“I told her not to die and that I won’t break up with her again,” he told the court.
Nnayerugo’s trial commenced after his extradition to Nigeria following his arrest in Doha, Qatar, after he had been on the run for about two years.
After listening to his testimony, Justice Harrison adjourned the case until December 7 and 8, 2026, for continuation of the trial.