The prime suspect in the murder of Usifo Ataga, the chief executive officer of Super TV, Chidinma Ojukwu, on Thursday, told Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafa Balewa Square that she was not responsible for the death of the deceased.
Ojukwu, the former 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos also told the court that she was not in the Lekki short-let apartment where they were staying on June 15, 2021, when the businessman died.
Ojukwu and one Adebayo Quadri were arraigned before the court on an eight-count charge bordering on allegations of murder, forgery and stealing.
They were accused of conspiring to murder Ataga on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him several times with a knife in the neck and chest at 19 Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
The state also docked Chidinma’s sister, Egbuchu, from whom the late Ataga’s iPhone 7 was said to have been recovered on a one-count charge of receiving stolen property.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In her testimony on Thursday, the defendant told the court that she discovered the body of the deceased after returning from buying food and juice.
She claimed that she knocked on the door but got no response, and that when she pushed the door open, she found blood on the floor and Ataga lying in a pool of blood.
The defendant also stated, “I dropped everything and rushed to him,” she recalled, adding that his eyes were half-closed and he had no pulse.
Led in evidence by her lawyer, Mr Onwuka Egwu, Chidinma elaborated on her relationship with Ataga, which began in November 2020.
She claimed that they met through a mutual friend, Fiyin, who was dating Ataga’s friend, James and that Ataga was a kind and supportive man who had paid her school fees and assisted her cosmetics business.
She further testified that Ataga informed her that he was from Edo State, lived in Victoria Garden City, and had three children with his estranged wife, who resided in Abuja.
The defendant stated that on June 13, 2021, Ataga called her to discuss his upcoming birthday and invited her to spend time with him before heading to Abuja for a family celebration.
She said that due to renovations at his home in VGC, he suggested they rent a hotel or apartment in Lekki, where he had meetings.
Chidinma testified that she eventually found a short-let apartment at 19 Adewale Street, off Ologolo Road in Lekki, which Ataga approved and that they met that evening, dined at Ango Villa restaurant, picked up wine, and returned to the apartment to drink, eat, and smoke.
She further narrated, “On June 14, 2021, we woke up late, and Ataga asked me to contact his supplier for cannabis and Rohypnol. He sent me N15,000 for that, then later N25,000 for food. I was delayed for about two hours while buying meals due to COVID-related issues.
“On June 15, 2021, Ataga requested more cannabis but asked me to pay for it since he couldn’t transfer funds. He also gave me money to buy food and juice. After struggling to reach him over an issue with the okra soup I was supposed to buy, I returned to the apartment and found him dead.
“I saw bloodstains, pushed the door open, and saw Michael on the floor, covered in blood. I checked for a pulse; there was none.
“In a panic, I wiped the blood off myself, changed my clothes, and packed my belongings, including a brown envelope containing Ataga’s bank statements, ID cards, and documents belonging to one Mary Johnson. I also took some jewellery and left the apartment in a cab,” the defendant stated.
Justice Adesanya has adjourned the case to April 28 for the continuation of the trial.
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