Demark driver accused of killing his Nigerian wife, daughter testifies

The trial of a Danish national, Peter Nielsen, who is accused of killing his Nigerian wife and daughter continued Monday with the prosecution calling the family driver to enter the witness stand.

Zainab, 37, and Petra, 3, were allegedly murdered by Mr Nielsen at their Banana Island home in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Daniel Joel, the family driver, while testifying told Mobolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, a judge of the Lagos Division of the Lagos State High Court sitting, Igbosere, that before her death, Zainab had come to the driver’s lodge around 1 a.m., sometime in 2017, and asked him to call the security men at Bella Vista to come and hold her husband that “he is mad and wants to kill her.”

He said Zainab who was holding their daughter, Petra, kept banging on the door of the driver’s lodge before his colleague woke him up that his madam was knocking at the door.

Mr Joel said the deceased showed him the wounds on her face, after opening the door for her, and asked him to call the security men. He said he immediately put a call through intercom to the security men who came and the deceased told them that the defendant wants to kill her and that she doesn’t want to stay in the house again.

The witness, who was led in evidence by Adeniji Kazeem, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos State, said he asked her where she wanted to go to at that time of the night so he could take her, but said she asked him not to worry and that he could go back to bed.

Mr Joel said after about an hour, the deceased came back with police officers and arrested the defendant and he was taken to Ikoyi Police Station.

“After the arrest, the defendant came back and in the morning the defendant asked me to drive him back to the police station, after which he asked me to take him to Radisson Blu Hotel in Victoria Island, and then I went back to the house.

“While I was at home, Mrs Zainab said that the children were writing exams that I should get ready that after their exams I would take them to the airport. On Sunday, after they had finished their exams, I took them to the airport, where they boarded a flight to Abuja.

“On our way to the airport, Mrs Zainab said that it was because of fear that they are going to Abuja. The defendant called me and asked me to come and pick him at Radisson Blu after dropping the wife at the airport. A day later, he asked me to take him to the airport which I did.”

Mr Joel said he got to know about the death of Mrs Zainab and her daughter through a phone call while he was in Kaduna.

During cross examination by the defence counsel, Olasupo Shasore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Joel said the defendant told him that he was drunk. He also said that he had seen the defendant smoke cigarettes but had never seen him take cocaine.

Asked if he could describe the relationship between the deceased and the defendant, Mr Joel said he does not know anything about their relationship.

Asked who informed him about the death of the deceased, the witness said one of the security men at Bella Vista Tower, in Banana Island, named Festus called him and told him what had happened.

“Festus said I want to tell you about a sad news, he told me that my madam was dead, but didn’t tell me how she died, when I received the call, I couldn’t believe what Festus was telling me.

“After receiving series of calls about the death of my madam, I took a taxi to Abuja, from Kaduna, and then flight to Lagos, I got to Bella Vista around 2 p.m. and saw ambulance taking Mrs Zainab to the hospital, I then took an Okada to the hospital and met the deceased’s mother Mrs Ruth Madaki there.”

Earlier the defendant’s counsel had brought two applications dated October 5 before the court seeking for medical samples to enable them do a DNA as well as to grant them access to the crime scene as it was under lock and key.

The two applications were granted by the presiding Mrs Okikiolu-Ighile, who later adjourned the case to October 9, for continuation of trial while the defendant was remanded in prison custody.

The defendant, Mr Nielsen, a Dane, is accused of the murder of his wife and daughter at their residence at Number 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island Ikoyi.

According to the prosecution, the offence was committed on April 5 at about 3:45 a.m.

The 53 years old Danish citizen pleaded not guilty to the crime.