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October 21, 2023
Falana, who is the bereaved family’s lawyer, in a release on Saturday noted that he had reached out to the Sierra Leone authorities on the incident.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has stated that he has got across to the Sierra Leone Inspector-General of Police, Fayia Sellu, who assured of speedy extradition of a Nigerian murder suspect, Best Nnanyereugo Benjamin, to Nigeria for prosecution.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Nnanyereugo who was declared wanted by the Nigerian Police Force for alleged murder of Miss Augusta Oseodion Onuwabhagbe, an undergraduate of Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State, was arrested in Sierra Leone.
Falana, who is the bereaved family’s lawyer, in a release on Saturday noted that he had reached out to the Sierra Leone authorities on the incident.
He said, “I am in touch with the President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, and Chairperson of the Transition Committee of the West African Bar Association, Madam Michaela Eddinia Swallow in respect of the matter.
“A few minutes, I had a telephone conversation with the Sierra Leonean Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Fayia Sellu. He assured me that he would cooperate with his counterpart in Nigeria, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, in ensuring a speedy extradition of the suspect to Nigeria.”
SaharaReporters had reported that Benjamin who was declared wanted by the Lagos State Police Command on October 10, 2023 following the killing of his alleged girlfriend on July 13, 2023 and disappeared was arrested at a club in Freetown by Sierra Leonean police on Friday.
A source, who shared the information of the arrest with SaharaReporters on Saturday morning, said that the suspect is currently being detained at the Freetown while awaiting extradition to Nigeria to face his crime.
The suspect, according to the source, after murdering the university undergraduate went at large with her phone.
"The suspect has been active on his social media handles since he ran out of the country to escape arrest.”
The source had added that a good Samaritan in Sierra Leone who noticed the activities of the suspect on social media contacted the mother of the deceased and informed her of the development. "The mother reached out to her lawyer, Chief Femi Falana (SAN) who assisted the family to contact the Sierra Leonean police authorities.
"When it was confirmed that he had fled the country the Lagos State Police commissioner, Mr Idowu Ohonbunwa directed the Lagos State Police Command to declare him wanted. Best was declared wanted on October 10, 2023.
"The Sierra Leonean police immediately commenced a manhunt for Best Nnanyereugo Benjamin. The mother of the deceased dispatched a family member to Freetown who was able to work with the police," he stated.
According to the source, Augusta was 21, when she was gruesomely killed by the suspect who claimed to be a real estate executive.