USIFO ATAGA: CHIDINMA'S TRIAL ADJOURNED AGAIN

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The trial of an undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the alleged murder of Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, on Thursday, was adjourned again after it was postponed at the last adjourned date.

Ojukwu, a 300-level student of the Department of Mass Communication is being tried before a Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square, on nine counts of murder, theft, and forgery.

She was arraigned alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.

On Tuesday, 15th of November, 2023, only the third defendant, Egbuchu, was present. Ojukwu and Quadri were not brought to court from the correctional facility due to the Nationwide strike observed by the Nigeria Labour Congress.

Because of the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress’s industrial action, inmates were not taken before the courts.

According to Justice Yetunde Adesanya, representatives from the correctional facility had told the court that the prisoners would not be brought before the court for security reasons unless the strike was called off.

“Due to the NLC strike, I suggest that tomorrow’s date be vacated and a fresh, clear date be given,” stated Mr. Onwuka Egwu, the first defendant’s attorney.

However, Mr. Babatunde Busari, the attorney for the second defendant, added, “The trial is still taking too long despite the effort given to this case by this court.”

“There is no trial day that I come to this court without the trial going on. I also suggest that a clear date be given to ensure that substantive justice is done to this matter.”

Additionally, he requested that the prosecution’s attorney, Mrs. Adenike Oluwafemi, Director of Public Prosecutions, state the number of prosecution witnesses who have not yet testified.

With the exception of DSP Olusegun Bamidele, the ninth prosecution witness, who was still testifying under cross-examination, the DPP informed the court that “there are two more witnesses.”

Judge Adesanya thus cancelled the scheduled date for Wednesday in order to prevent any disruptions due to the NLC strike.

She postponed the case until December 5 and December 7, 2023, in order to allow the trial to continue.

At the most recent hearing in June, DSP Bamidele, the ninth prosecution witness, described how he had examined the late Ataga’s body in the mortuary.

Egwu, the attorney for the first defendant, cross-examined the witness.

The witness had said in court that, in order to complete his research, he went to the mortuary two days after the deceased passed away.

According to Bamidele, the corpse bag was opened for his inspection while he was present.

He testified in court that he observed injuries to the deceased’s neck and body.

The witness also claimed that after telling the mortuary staff to turn the body over, he noticed marks on the left side of the ribs.

The witness also reported to the court that there was an open wound in the lower centre of the head that appeared to have been stabbed.

Ojukwu and Quadri are accused of committing one to eight offences, including conspiracy, murder, stabbing, forgery, falsifying bank records, and theft. The ninth count against Egbuchu, the third defendant, is the theft of an iPhone 7 that belonged to the deceased Ataga.

On June 15, 2021, Ataga is said to have been stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest by Ojukwu and Quadri as part of a plot to murder him. Additionally, the suspects are charged with forgery after allegedly obtaining and fabricating bank statements of accounts that were supposedly opened by the deceased.

Chidinma and the two others were arraigned on October 12, 2021, by the Lagos State Government.