Murder Trial: I Have No Hand In My Wife And Daughter’s Death — Danish National, Nielsen Tells Court

A Danish national, Peter Nielsen on Tuesday affirmed his testimony that he did not kill his Nigerian singer wife Zainab, and their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Petra, on April 5, 2018.

Nielsen told a Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) that he found the duo dead when he awoke from sleep that morning.

The Dane started this during resumption of cross-examination by Lagos State Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Adebayo Haroun.

The state accuses the defendant of smothering Zainab and Petra to death at about 3:45am at No. 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

Nielsen was arraigned on June 13, 2018.

He pleaded not guilty to the two counts of murder, which contravene Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Last October, Nielsen, led in evidence by his counsel, Olasupo Shashore (SAN), testified as the 10th defence witness in the ongoing case.

He denied committing the offence.

Upon resumption of proceedings on Tuesday, the defendant repeated his denial.

“I remember that Thursday, 5th of April, 2018 was an Easter vacation day. When I woke up, I was looking for Zainab and Petra from the balcony overlooking the field in the Estate,” Peter said.

He told the court that the balcony had a sliding door which he opened.

His words: “I do not know if there was any damage to the sliding door or any of the doors I had opened that morning. I asked Mimi (a teenager who lived with them) to open the glass door which leads to the kitchen and also carry Petra from the kitchen to the living room while I stood close to my wife trying to get hold of her where she was lying on the floor; this was to avoid the risk of a gas explosion”.

Peter stated that he and Mimi moved the bodies from the kitchen to the sitting room before anyone else came to the house before he placed a call to his wife’s mother.

When Mr. Haroun asked him if Zainab’s mother was a medical doctor, Nielsen replied, “no”.

He explained that he did not know Zainab’s mother’s location when he called her, adding that lives in Abuja.

“That was the first thing that came to my mind after I unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate Zainab and Petra using CPR and realizing they had died since there was no pulse or breathing,” Peter said.

Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile adjourned further proceedings till February 21, 2022, for further hearing.

“The defendant is further remanded at the correctional centre,” the judge added.