Ojukwu, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Akoka, was arraigned alongside Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu on October, 12, 2021, on nine counts over the alleged murder of Ataga.

The court resumed watching the recorded video footage showing the confessional statement of Ojukwu before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.

In the video, she said she did not know who killed the deceased as she had gone out on the day of the incident.

She said she saw Ataga on the floor when she came back, and immediately packed her property and left because she was scared.

On the last adjourned date on October 11, 2022, the video recording was played, showing the lifeless body of Ataga.

A part of the video had also shown Ojukwu’s confession where she said she killed the deceased on her own.

In the video played on Tuesday, Ojukwu was asked why she denied knowing the deceased during interrogation.

She said she did not deny knowing him but that she did not kill him.

Ojukwu said, “I don’t know who came in after I left the room. When I came back, I saw him bleeding. I had to leave because I was scared, I did not kill him, I don’t know who killed him.”

She said she couldn’t call for help when she saw him in a pool of blood because she was scared, noting that she also picked the deceased’s two iPhones and Macbook, which were among her things before she left.

She further said the deceased ordered the Loud smoke and Rophynol.

The prosecutor, Yusuf Sule, called the ninth witness, DSP Olusegun Bamidele, who explained how the hand-written statement of the first defendant was taken and how other defendants were arrested.

Bamidele said, “She started writing by herself, but because her handwriting wasn’t eligible, I told her that she should ensure that her writing was legible or write in capital letters. It was at that point that she said I should write for her and she confessed to killing the deceased.

She also mentioned how she killed Michael Usifo Ataga and went away with the knife, phones and Macbook laptop. We took the first defendant to Computer Village with her laptop and we located the phone hub.”

Bamidele said one Yomi confirmed that there was a transaction between his colleague and Ojukwu over the laptop.

He said, “That was how the Macbook was recovered and Ojukwu confessed that she was the one who sold the laptop to them. We studied her call logs and noticed that there was a frequent call log between June 15, 17, 18 and 21, which led to the arrest of the 2nd defendant. He threw away his phone through the window and also attempted to jump through the window before he was arrested.”

The witness said four other phones were recovered from the second defendant, who explained how he met Ojukwu.

Bamidele also said the second defendant disclosed how Ojukwu had asked him to procure Loud smoke and Rophynol for her a number of times which he delivered to Lekki.

The witness said the third defendant was arrested through the help of the foster father of Chidinma, Onoh Ojukwu, and their uncle, Obi, alongside their mother.

The case was adjourned till October 20, for continuation of trial.

An undergraduate, Chidinma Ojukwu, and one Adedapo Quadri are standing trial for Ataga’s murder.

They were arraigned alongside Ojukwu’s sister, Chioma Egbuchu, accused of stealing Ataga’s iPhone 7.

Ataga’s body was seen in the video lying on the ground facing up, with his hands spread.

He was wearing a white singlet and boxer’s pants stained with blood.

His head was close to a wall at the short-service apartment where he was allegedly murdered.

There was blood on the floor. Blood also stained the pillow and duvet on the bed in the room.

In the same Compact Disc, a video showing Ojukwu narrating how she murdered Ataga was played.

In the video, Ojukwu narrated that she met Ataga through a friend.

She said that, on June 13, 2021, the deceased called her and asked her to get a place for them to stay, and she got the short let service apartment where the deceased died.

She said: “After I got the place on Sunday, we were smoking loud, drinking, watching movies

“Then, I went to get food, the drug we were taking got finished and I ordered another one and went downstairs to get it from the delivery guy in the morning.”

The first defendant said the above-mentioned incident occurred on June 14, 2021.

”Then, on Tuesday, we drank, smoke loud and I added Rophynol to his drink. We had sex, and I was on the bed and he was on a chair.

“Later, he started disturbing me for more sex. I was tired, and after struggling with him, he had his way and still wanted more.

“He was no longer himself, and I thought he was no more interested in sex, only for him to return to the bed to ask for more.

“I pushed him away which resulted in his hitting his head against a stool that had a glass, he had a cut on his leg and he became weak.”

Ojukwu said that she then took a knife and stabbed Ataga on the neck, ribs and stomach, so he would not be able to harm her.

“I tied his hands with a handkerchief. His blood was out and I was scared. I just packed everything, my clothes were also stained with blood, I just packed my things and left.

“I took the knife and handkerchief, and when I got home, I threw the knife and handkerchief away.
Michael was a friend. I didn’t know him that deeply, and we didn’t talk regularly,” she said in the video clip.

When she was asked in the video if she was assisted in killing the deceased, Ojukwu said, “There was nobody that assisted me, I did it alone.”

When asked why she didn’t call for help, she said, ”Obviously I was scared, that was why I left.”

She said that there was no motive for killing Ataga.

In the video, the ninth prosecution witness in the murder trial, DSP Olusegun Bamidele from the Intelligence and Tactical Unit of the State Criminal Investigating Department, Panti Yaba, was seen in interrogating Ojukwu at Panti.

He also asked her why she was using a foreign phone number and the motive behind her hiding her phone number.

Ojukwu said that she already had a foreign number registered on social media which she used to chat with people.

Asked why the owner of the service apartment didn’t know her identity, she said, “She didn’t ask for my identification.

“If she had said that the place was not available I would have left for another place.”

Ojukwu responded to a question in the video about why she used Mary Johnson to open a bank account. She said that she was attempting to open an account number which got blocked.

On an Identification card she procured, Ojukwu said, “It was someone that did it and you can’t see his face.

“I don’t know the contact of the person. I was just going through the internet and I saw a contact to call.”

She also said in the video that she opened a domiciliary account for depositing dollars.

At this point, prosecution counsel, Adenike Oluwafemi, reminded the witness of his evidence on May 10, when he said that he recovered some items from the defendant’s house.

Bamidele responded by listing the things he allegedly recovered from Ojukwu’s house.

He told Justice Yetunde Adesanya that he recovered a small pink purse containing two syringes, eight pieces of Rophynol tablets, two sanitary pads, a small perfume, jewelry, an iPhone belonging to first defendant, a notebook, a diary, and a HP laptop.

The witness listed the other items to including an identity card with the name: Ojukwu Chidinma Adora; Ataga’s driver’s licence, Ojukwu’s United Bank for Africa automated teller machine card and Super net identity card in Ataga’s name.

Other items, according to the witness, are three other cards that had the deceased’s name and six blank complimentary cards.

After identifying the items, Oluwafemi prayed the court to admit them in evidence.

However, Ojukwu’s counsel, Mr C.C. Ezebube, objected to the admissibility of the items.

Ezebube said that the custody of the items was not specified before the court – from the moment of recovery to that of tendering them before the court.

He said, “Some of the items could have been picked from anywhere, there is no originality as these items can be reproduced from anywhere.

Quadri’s counsel, Mr Babatunde Busari, and Egbuchu’s counsel, F.O. Ilesunmi, did not object to the tendering of the items in evidence.

In a ruling, the judge dismissed the objection and admitted the items in evidence.

Earlier, the witness showed the court some pictures of the apartment where Ataga was allegedly murdered.

The three defendants were arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge brought against them by Lagos State Government.

Ojukwu and Quadri are facing the first to eight counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stabbing, forgery, making of bank statements, and stealing.

The third defendant, Egbuchu, is facing the ninth count – stealing of an iPhone 7 belonging to Ataga.

Ojukwu and Quadri are alleged to have conspired and murdered Ataga on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him several times with a knife on the neck and chest.

The alleged murder took place at 19, Adewale Oshin St., Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday for the continuation of trial.

While testifying before the court, Saliu said Ataga was killed like a chicken because he was tied up like a ram.

Saliu, who was led in evidence in by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs A. O. Oluwafemi, further said that apart from the seven stab wounds on Ataga’s neck, there were two on his ribs and one on the stomach.

During cross examination by the counsel to Chidinma, Mr Onwuka Egwu, Mr Saliu said he had no idea of who handed the CCTV footage to the police, noting that the CCTV footage trended prior to the arrest of Chidinma.

Chidinma, a 300-level mass communication student of the University of Lagos (Unilag), is standing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri, for Ataga’s murder. Chidinma who used to be Ataga’s side chic was arrested after he was found dead in an apartment they lodged in Lagos in June 2021

Counsel to the family of late Ataga, Mike Ozekhome, who disclosed this to Punch, said so far, the police investigation into Ataga’s death was not professionally handled, adding that the police, without obtaining legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, arraigned the prime suspect, Chidinma Ojukwu, and other suspected accomplices at a chief magistrate’s court, which had no jurisdiction over murder cases.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria stated that Ataga’s family alleged that one of the arraigned suspected accomplices, Babalola Disu, carried out the murder

”The family premised its suspicion on information it had to the effect that Disu’s short rental apartment was directly opposite the apartment where Ataga was killed.

The family narrated how the said Disu had asked that the carpenter of the Airbnb short service apartment should be called to fix his door, only for the carpenter to be told that it was actually Ataga’s door that was broken.

The family said it also suspects the said Disu for having a hand in Ataga’s murder because of the manner in which he disappeared from the service apartment and wondered why he was charged for mere obstruction and failure to report a crime, thus being granted bail in the ridiculous sum of N1m only.

Why did Disu obstruct police investigation and over what crime? How did he do so? What crime did Disu fail to report to the police for which he was now charged? Was it the murder case? And if so, how was he connected to it and under what circumstances did he know about it? The Ataga family needs answers” the petition said

Ozekhome stated that the family demanded re-investigation of the entire murder case of their breadwinner, adding that the findings should be handed over to the Lagos State DPP to formally re-arraign Chidinma and other suspected accomplices who had already been charged before the chief magistrate’s court.

“These are the persons of Babalola Disu; Ojukwu – Chidinma’s alleged father or sugar daddy; Jessica Egbochi; Abayomi Olutayo; and, Ifeoluwa Olowu; and any other person(s) whom the police investigation may still throw up as having been linked to Ataga’s cold-blooded murder,” the petition added

Ataga was found dead in a shortlet apartment in June this year, days after his family declared him missing. The police later arrested his lover, Chidinma Ojukwu, a 21-year-old student of the University of Lagos, who initially claimed she killed him but later recanted her claim, alleging that she walked into the apartment to find him dead.

Odumosu disclosed this during a briefing and parade of over 1,000 suspects at the Command headquarters in Ikeja.

Although he didn’t give details on the number of suspects arrested and their connection to the murder, Odumosu said the case was progressing and the police would never compromise on it.

He reminded the public the prime suspect, Chidinma Ojokwu, 21, was still a suspect with her rights guaranteed by the constitution, dismissing insinuations the police were attempting to give her a soft landing.

Odumosu said: “We have established a case of conspiracy in the murder and we have arrested more suspects.”

The House also called on the police to “conduct a proper investigation into the matter and refrain from parading Ms Chidinma around to grant interviews on the matter under investigation.”

In addition, the House said the IGP must ensure that “Ms Ojukwu (the accused) does not die in custody or commit suicide while awaiting trial as in some past cases.”

These were the resolutions passed by the lawmakers at the plenary on Tuesday, following their unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Tolu Akande-Sadipe and titled ‘Call for the Compliance of the Police Force with the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Proper Investigation into the Death of Late Mr Usifo Ataga.’

Moving the motion on Tuesday, Akande-Sadipe, said, “The House notes that Ms Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-Level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos was arrested on Wednesday, 23rd June 2021, over the murder of Chief Executive Officer, Super TV, Mr Usifo Ataga, in a service apartment in the Lekki area of Lagos State. The House is aware that since the arrest of Ms Chidinma Ojukwu, she has been paraded around, granting interviews to various news platforms, including the Nigerian Television Authority, on the matter, causing the internet and news media to be agog with the discussion and dissecting the matter. This is despite the fact that the police have already launched an investigation into the matter. The House is further aware that the law of Nigeria does not allow for social media trials and matters that are sub judice – meaning before the court or not yet judicially decided – are not to be discussed by the media. The House is cognizant that Section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until they are proven guilty. Thus, so long as Ms Ojukwu has not been proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction, she is not to be labelled a criminal or paraded about to conduct a series of interviews on a case currently under investigation. Rather, the police are to conduct a proper investigation and allow the court to consider the matter and make an informed judgment. The House is concerned that if Ms Ojukwu continues to be paraded about for a social media trial, it could affect the determination and outcome of the case as well as amount to a breach of her fundamental right to a fair hearing, especially where she is labelled or treated as one guilty of a crime.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, said Chidinma is an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, adding that she had confessed to committing the crime.

Chidinma was paraded at the police command headquarters in Ikeja on Thursday.

While the owner of the rented apartment where the tragic incident took place had been arrested, Odumosu also said Ataga’s account had been blocked to prevent further withdrawals from it by those taking advantage of his untimely death to deplete the account.