Murder: Danish citizen to die by hanging

A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) yesterday sentenced a Danish man, Peter Nielsen, to death by hanging for killing his Nigerian wife Zainab and daughter – Petra. Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile handed down the judgment which took the judge more than four hours to read after four years of criminal trial. The judgment […]

A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) yesterday sentenced a Danish man, Peter Nielsen, to death by hanging for killing his Nigerian wife Zainab and daughter – Petra.

Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile handed down the judgment which took the judge more than four hours to read after four years of criminal trial.

The judgment is however still subject to appeal at the Court of Appeal if parties are unhappy and if still dissatisfied to the Supreme Court.

Nielsen, 54, was charged with a two-count charge for murder.

On June 21, 2014, Peter Nielsen got married to his deceased wife at the Ikoyi registry.

The defendant was accused of killing his Nigerian singer wife, Zainab, and their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Petra on April 5, 2018.

The Lagos State Government had accused the defendant of killing Zainab and Petra at about 3:45am at No. 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi.

Nielsen was arraigned on June 13, 2018 and he pleaded not guilty to the two counts of murder which contravene Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

As at the time of filing this report, both deceased mother – Zainab and daughter—Petra are still in the morgue as they are yet to be buried four years after the unfortunate incident.