MURDER OF USIFO ATAGA: JUDGE’S ABSENCE STALLS CHIDINMA’S TRIAL
Read Time:1 Minute, 34 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
A Lagos High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), on Tuesday, adjourned the ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect of the alleged murder of SuperTV boss, Usifo Ataga due to the Judge’s absence as she is indisposed.
Chidinma is standing trial on charges of murder, theft, and forgery with her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.
On the last adjourned date on June 20th, the court listened to ninth Prosecuting witness in the case, Olusegun Bamidele, who is a police officer, as he was cross-examined by Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Chidinma’s counsel.
While giving his testimony, he told the court that “From the appearance of the deceased, if the first defendant (Chidinma), was to engage in a fight with him and he is in his right frame of mind, she would have not been able to defeat him.
Thereafter, the defense counsel tendered an investigative police report dated 18th June 2021, a brief dated 22nd June, 2021, interim Police report dated 23rd July, 2021 and 20th August, 2021 which the Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Nike Olorunfemi didn’t object to.
The court admitted and marked the exhibits as D1a and D2b respectively.
The defendants were arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge preferred 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 the late 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 suspects are also accused of committing forgery by procuring and making bank statements of account purported to have been made by the deceased.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0