Danish man gets death sentence for killing Nigerian wife, daughter

A Lagos high court has convicted a Danish, Peter Nielsen, for killing his wife and daughter.

The state government had, on June 13, 2018, arraigned him before the court on the charge of murder, a crime punishable under section 223 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2015.
He was said to have killed his wife, Zainab, also known by her stage name as Alizee, and his three-year-old daughter on April 5, 2018 at their Banana Island residence in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.
The defendant, who pleaded not guilty, had told the court that his wife and daughter died before a doctor arrived their home.
Nielsen said he woke up at 2:30am on April 5, 2018, and got snacks and drinks for his wife and daughter before going back to sleep.

The defendant said when he woke up at 7:30am and did not see his wife on their bed, he searched for her.
Nielsen also told the court he saw his wife and daughter in their kitchen, where he said he perceived a strong smell of gas when he opened the door.
The defendant said he dragged his wife to the living room and asked one of the girls living with them to carry his daughter, adding that he then covered them with two blankets after he realised that they had died.
The presiding judge, Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, in his judgement on Friday found the defendant guilty of the murder.
“I hereby pronounce that you Peter Nielsen shall be hanged by the neck until death. May God have mercy on you,” she said.