USIFO ATAGA: ABSENCE OF PROSECUTING WITNESS STALLS CHIDINMA’S TRIAL
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Due to the unavailability of a prosecution witness, DSP Olusegun Bamidele, the trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level mass communication student at the University of Lagos in Akoka, over the alleged murder of Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, was postponed on Tuesday.
Ojukwu is standing trial before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos High court at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS).
Along with her sister Chioma Egbuchu and another person named Adedapo Quadri, she is also accused of stealing and forging documents.
The Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Adenike Oluwafemi, informed the court during the case’s resumed hearing on Tuesday that the subject was for trial continuation.
She said that Bamidele, the ninth prosecution witness who had not yet finished his testimony, was not present in court.
She claims that the witness texted her to say that he was soaked from being out in the rain all morning and was unable to get a ride to court.
She apologized for the witness’s absence.
Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Mr. Babatunde Busari, and Miss M. A. Abia-Bassey, the defendants’ attorneys, claimed that the prosecution attorney had previously notified them of the development.
They had no objections when the subject was postponed.
Until October 27, Justice Yetunde Adesanya postponed further hearings.
The case was not continued at the most recent adjourned date on October 20 because the initial defense attorney sent a message stating that he had lost a relative and was already in Anambra State when the case was called.
Quadri, the third defendant, also failed to appear in court.
He called Babatunde Busari, his attorney, to let him know that the custodial center had ordered that he not be taken to court owing to security concerns in light of the second anniversary of the #EndSARS campaign.
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