By Onozure Dania

LAGOS—THE trial of a Danish national, Peter Nielson, who allegedly murdered his wife and daughter commenced, yesterday, with the prosecution calling its first witness.

At the commencement of the trial, the witness, Daniel Joel told a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere of how late Zainab Nielson before her death had came to the driver’s lodge around 1am, sometime in 2017, and asked him to call the security men at Bella Vista, to come and hold Peter Nielson that he is mad and wanted her killed.

Joel, who was being led in evidence by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Lagos State, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, SAN, said: “After the arrest of the defendant, they later 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. I took them to the Airport, where they boarded a flight to Abuja.”

Joel said he got to know about Zainab’s death and her daughter through phone call, while he was in Kaduna.”

During cross examination from the defendant’s counsel, Mr Olasupo Shasore, SAN, said that the defendant told him that he was drunk.

He also said that he has seen the deceased smoke Cigarettes but that he has never seen the defendant take cocaine before.

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

The two applications were granted.

However Justice Mobolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, adjourned the case to October 9, for continuation of trial, while the defendant was remanded in prison custody.

It will be recalled that the defendant committed the offence on April 5, 2018.