Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Ataga, on Thursday, narrated how she discovered his lifeless body in a Lekki short-let apartment on 15 June 2021.
Ms Ojukwu, then a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, narrated this before the Lagos State High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square.
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She is standing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri, for the murder of Mr Ataga.
The defendants were arraigned on 12 October 2021 by the Lagos State Government.
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Ms Ojukwu and Mr Quadri are facing the first to eight counts of conspiracy, murder, and stabbing while her sister, Ms Egbuchu, is facing the ninth count of stealing an iPhone 7 belonging to the late Mr Ataga.
At the resumed trial on Thursday, Ms Ojukwu, opened her defence before trial judge Yetunde Adesanya.
She was led in evidence by her lawyer, Onwuka Egwu, narrating her relationship with Mr Ataga, which began in November 2020.
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She told the court that she met Mr Ataga through a mutual friend, Fiyin, who was dating Mr Ataga’s friend, James.
Ms Ojukwu described Ataga as kind and supportive, adding that he had once paid her school fees and supported her cosmetics business.
She said Mr Ataga told her he was from Edo State, lived in Victoria Garden City (VGC), and was in the media industry.
Ms Ojukwu also said Mr Ataga told her that he had three children with his estranged wife who lived in Abuja.
According to her, on 13 June 2021, Mr Ataga called her and told her that his birthday was coming up that week.
She said he invited her to spend the time with him before he would head to Abuja for a family celebration.
“Due to some renovations at his VGC home, he suggested getting a hotel or an apartment in Lekki, where he had meetings.
“I eventually found a short-let apartment at 19, Adewale Street, Off Ologolo Road, Lekki, which Mr Ataga approved.
“We met there that evening and went out to eat at Ango Villa restaurant. We picked up wine, then returned to the apartment to drink, eat, and smoke,” she narrated.
She also narrated how they spent their day on 14 June 2021.
According to her, they woke up late that day. Mr Ataga asked her to contact her “Loud” (cannabis) and rohypnol supplier.
She said Mr Ataga transferred N15,000 to her for narcotics and gave her N25,000 for food.
Ms Ojukwu said she spent about two hours buying meals due to COVID-related delay.
On 15 June 2021, she said, Mr Ataga again requested more “Loud,” but asked her to pay because he could not transfer funds.
She said he also gave her money to buy food and juice.
“After struggling to reach him due to an issue with the okro soup I went to buy, I returned to the apartment and found him dead.
“I saw blood stains, pushed the door open, and saw Michael on the floor, covered in blood. I checked for pulse, but there was none.
“In panic, I wiped the blood off my body, changed clothes, and packed my things including a brown envelope containing Ataga’s bank statements, ID cards, and documents belonging to one Mary Johnson.
“I also took some jewelry and left the apartment in a cab,” she said
The court adjourned the case until April 28, for continuation of trial.
Prosecution’s case
Thursday’s testimony of Ms Ojukwu, her first public comment on the murder allegation, contrasted with the prosecution’s case.
Testifying last year, the 11th prosecution witness, Richard Somiari, a forensic expert, testified that the DNA blood sample found on Ms Ojukwu’s red dress matched that of the victim, Mr Ataga.
The director and consultant for the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, said his office received 21 different items on different days from their DNA centre.
According to him, the items that were received for evidence included a stained red dress, an army green T-shirt, and a DNA sample from Ms Ojukwu.
He also said other items received were urine, blood, gastric content and byle which were retained for toxicology reports.
The witness said the goal was to create an evidence triangle to link the suspect to the crime scene and the victim.
Earlier in November 2021, another prosecution witness narrated narrated what she knew about the case.
Nkechi Mogbo, the witness, is the owner of the short-let apartment at 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, where Mr Usifo was murdered.
She told the court how a lady called and sought to have a look at her apartment.
She said she put a call through to the security, Abubakar, explaining that the lady would be coming to see the place.
Upon checking, the lady, who identified herself with the name ‘Jewel’, said she would take the apartment for threeapartmen
“She asked for payment details, which I forwarded across to her, within a couple of minutes, she sent the proof of payment of N125,000. It contained the initiator of the payment, Michael Usifo, from a GTB account, the time and date of the transaction, and my name as the recipient,” she said.
The owner said following the payment, the security man handed her the key to the apartment on the same day.
“Two days after, at about 5:30 p.m. – June 15, she was due to check out on June 16, I got a message from the lady that her friend would like to extend for three more days, and that he would be making the payment the next day, which would be on the 16th,” the witness said.
She said at 10 a.m. on June 16, she received a credit notification from the same GTBank account, confirming payment of N50, 000 for two additional days by the same Michael Usifo.
“Hours later, I put a call across to my security man on a different issue, upon which he made a remark that they had noticed a body on the ground of the said apartment.
She told the court she immediately started panicking but asked the whereabouts of the lady because the security man confirmed the deceased was a guy.
“He said she left the night before at about 7:30 to 8 p.m. and didn’t return. I got off the phone and tried to reach the lady. I put a call across to her but she cut the call, she then sent a message saying she was in a meeting. I didn’t want to alert her as to what I was aware of.
“I carried on saying the payment which you sent in the morning, unfortunately, wasn’t credited, so can you make the payment again because I made a mistake to acknowledge receipt.
“She said she would reach her friend for him to make the payment. Couple of minutes after, I got another initiation of payment for the same sum of N50, 000, from the same initiator, the person of Mr Michael.
“When she made the payment, I was already on my way to the property to get a proper understanding of what had happened, after which I went straight to the police station,” she narrated.
The apartment owner said she sent a message to the lady that she had received the initial N50, 000 which she claimed she didn’t receive, and that she had given the security man the cash of the extra N50 000, so she should pick it from him.
“I devised the means to lure her to come to the property, after the security had confirmed she left the day before. She sent a message that would like to use the N50, 000 for another two days.”
Also testifying in November 2022, the sixth prosecution witness, Ibrahim Isiaka, a police inspector, who is the investigative police officer (IPO), testified that the police discovered the dead body of Mr Ataga in a pool of his blood.
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He said when the police got the information of the incident at the Maroko Police Station at Lekki, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) rushed down to the scene of the crime, and the DPO immediately called emergency at Yaba General hospital, who came and evacuated the corpse. .
Mr Isiaka said that, on 16 June 2021, at about 11:30 p.m., Ms Mogbo, who is the owner of the service apartment where Mr Ataga was killed, came to make a report of a murder case.
He said Ms Mogbo, told the police that her security guard, one Abu, had informed her that some people lodged at her facility, and that when the cleaner went to clean the apartment they discovered a dead body.
The witness informed the court that in Ms Mogbo’s report, she stated that the security guard and the cleaner, after calling the occupants of the apartment and there was no response, forced the door open and discovered that a man was lying in his pool of blood.
He added that based on the nature of the case, on 17 June 2021, the DPO, said the case should be immediately transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti.
(NAN)
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