Published 14th Feb, 2025

By Timileyin Akinmoyeje

It has been sixteen months since the Nigeria Police Force announced that it had started the process of extraditing Benjamin Best Nnanyereugo — infamously known as ‘KillaBoi’. Some recent developments suggest that the process has hit a dead end because the murder suspect is no longer in custody.

Despite his arrest in Sierra Leone in October 2023 and the commencement of an extradition process by Nigerian authorities, emerging evidence hints that Nnanyereugo may have slipped away as a result of the collective irresponsibility of the police in Sierra Leone (SLP) and Nigeria (NPF).

IS KILLABOI IN SIERRA LEONE?

On January 10, a video clip of an individual suspected to be Nnanyereugo surfaced on social media. In this short video, he is seen enjoying an evening out in Doha, Qatar, with expensive alcohol in a lavish setting.

Although the footage is unclear and too short to make conclusions from, many observers noted a striking resemblance to Nnanyereugo, the suspect.

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The caption of one of the most engaged versions of the video reads:

“In October 2023, Augusta’s brother, Heze traced him to Sierra Leone. He found him, arrested him, brought him back to Nigeria and handed him over to the Nigeria police. He eventually bribed his way out and left the country. He is presently flaunting his luxurious lifestyle in Qatar……

An interview with the victim’s mother confirmed suspicions that Nnanyereugo is no longer in custody. Onwabhagbe Cordelia Nneji, Augusta Osedion’s mum, told FIJ that the extradition process was botched by the combined laxity by the NPF and the SLP.”

On Monday, Nneji told FIJ that she got several warnings from the Sierra Leonean Police to hasten the retrieval of the suspect because of “corruption”, after the suspect’s arrest.

She further mentioned that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in Sierra Leone had said it was a matter of a handover — not extradition — and that he was concerned the Nigerian police had not come to facilitate the handover.

“At that point, anytime I call our police here, they keep telling me they were gathering papers. They kept gathering papers. The IGP in Sierra Leone and another police officer there had told me that I should hasten the process if I can because of possible corruption”, Nneji said.

According to the victim’s mother, the extradition had been scheduled for November 27, 2023. But on November 26, Nneji said that Killaboi escaped from Sierra Leone just as reports emerged that armed individuals had attacked a prison in the country.

She said, “I have a contact in Sierra Leone. As the incident was unfolding on 26 November 2023, he was sending me videos of the prison break.”

Since then, the Sierra Leonean IGP stopped answering her calls and messages.

Nneji also mentioned that she had learnt what happened only through her lawyer. Her lawyer was informed that the authorities had written to Nigeria saying that Killaboi had escaped from prison.

POLICE SOURCE CONFIRMS ESCAPE

In the past, FIJ had tried getting comments from the Lagos Police Command on the progress of Nnanyereugo’s extradition. Those attempts were met with silence. FIJ documented the most recent instance of information strangulation in November 2024.

More recently, FIJ sent multiple text messages to Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, requesting updates on Killaboi’s extradition. These texts have been left unanswered. One of the texts was sent on January 31 and another on February 6.

Hundeyin also refused to answer phone calls.

On February 7 when FIJ visited the Ikeja Police Command, Hundeyin refused to comment on the case.

However, a senior officer in the Nigeria Police Force familiar with the case told FIJ that the Nigeria Police had tried its best to get Killaboi out, but it could not achieve progress because the suspect had reportedly escaped from detention.

“If they tell us, ‘Oh, the person you’re looking for is not available o, he is in Turkey now.’ What should we do about it? So we can’t be held responsible for it. He is a wanted person, if he returns to Nigeria, he will definitely be apprehended

“If the Government of Sierra Leone don’t hand over to us, there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s a sovereign country and we cannot just barge in to arrest someone.

“He is with them and he escaped there, so they should be held responsible for that. He is not on Nigerian soil, so we cannot barge into people’s country to do anything,” the source told FIJ.

Since 1960, Nigeria has been a member of INTERPOL. Through its National Central Bureau in Abuja, the country collaborates with international law enforcement agencies to combat transnational crime.

One of the opportunities available to the police as a result of its membership is Interpol’s Fugitive Investigative Support Structure.

According to INTERPOL, “Criminals can flee to another country to try to evade justice. A Red Notice alerts police worldwide about internationally wanted fugitives.”

A Red Notice is essentially a request to law enforcement agencies around the world to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

Under its domestic legal framework — most notably the Nigerian Extradition Act — Nigeria has the authority to arrest fugitives and work with INTERPOL to secure their extradition for prosecution.

According to the Sierra Leonean Extradition Act, Nnanyereugo can indeed be extradited to Nigeria for prosecution, if the police in the country have him.

However, the fugitive would need to appear before a judge who would make the order for extradition subject to the law. His appearance before a judge would follow the issuance of a warrant.

In October 2023, the Nigerian Police Force announced that it had begun the extradition process for Nnanyereugo.

BACKRGOUND

Back in July 2023, Nnanyereugo openly confessed to murdering 21‑year‑old Augusta Onuwabhagbe Osedion. His admission caused an online outcry and set off a manhunt that culminated in his being declared wanted by the Lagos Police Command.

Nnanyereugo fled Nigeria, reportedly spending over $25,000 to secure a Sierra Leonean passport and even changing his name to Kanu Princeton Samuel. These incidents happened in August 2023.

The turning point in this case came from the efforts of Augusta’s family. Her brother tirelessly tracked the fugitive’s whereabouts until he found him.

On his X handle in October 2023, Osedion’s brother confirmed Nnanyereugo’s arrest in Sierra Leone and the efforts he had put into ensuring it happened.

“I’ve spent the last week in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We were in contact with the Law Enforcement Agencies in Sierra Leone to set up ways to apprehend Ben. We knew where he slept, we knew where he ate, we trailed him until they were able apprehend him last night.”

The NPF announced in October 2023 that it had begun the extradition process for Nnanyereugo.

On January 11, FIJ sent a text to Muyiwa Adejobi, the NPF spokesperson, to formally get a status update on the extradition. The messages had received no response at press time.

JAILBREAK REPORTS AND SILENCE FROM THE SLP

Local reports and one report from the BBC in November 2023, confirm that a jailbreak indeed happened in Sierra Leone. According to the reports, thirteen soldiers and six other people were killed during the jailbreak.

The reports stated that gunmen had attacked military barracks and prisons in the country. On November 26, Sahr D.T. Ngaujah, the acting Director General of the Correctional Services in Sierra Leone, said that 1,890 inmates had escaped.

More recent local reports from October 2024 say that 1,376 inmates remained at large. The names of the escapees were not published.

Brima Kamara, the SLP’s media and public relations head, received a text from FIJ on January 10.

Kamara acknowledged the message and redirected FIJ to Mohammed Bobson Senu, the Deputy Head of Media, on the account that he was on leave. Senu had not acknowledged or responded to FIJ’s messages at press time.

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