CHIDINMA OPENS DEFENSE, TELLS COURT HOW SHE DISCOVERED ATAGA DEAD IN LEKKI APARTMENT
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Usifo Ataga, on Thursday narrated before a Lagos High Court sitting at Tafa Balewa Square how she found Ataga lifeless inside a short-let apartment in Lekki, Lagos.
Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, the 23-year-old former Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos recounted the events of June 15, 2021, the day Ataga was discovered dead.
Ojukwu told the court that after stepping out to buy food and juice, she returned to the apartment, knocked on the door but got no response. She pushed the door open and was confronted by a disturbing scene: blood stains on the floor and Ataga lying motionless in a pool of blood.
“I dropped everything I was holding and rushed to him,” she testified. “His eyes were half-open and there was no pulse.”
Led in evidence by her counsel, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Chidinma described her relationship with Ataga, which she said began in November 2020 after being introduced to him by a mutual friend, Fiyin, the girlfriend of Ataga’s friend, James.
She portrayed Ataga as supportive and generous, claiming he had once paid her school fees and offered financial support for her cosmetics business.
According to Ojukwu, Ataga contacted her on June 13, 2021, informing her that his birthday was approaching and inviting her to spend time with him before his scheduled trip to Abuja for a family celebration. Due to renovations at his residence in Victoria Garden City (VGC), she said Ataga suggested they book a hotel or short-let apartment in Lekki, where he had business meetings.
She secured an apartment at 19 Adewale Street, off Ologolo Road, Lekki, which Ataga approved. That evening, they met at the apartment, went out to eat at Ango Villa restaurant, bought wine, and returned to spend the night together, drinking, eating, and smoking.
She further told the court that the following day, June 14, Ataga asked her to help procure loud (a strain of cannabis) and rohypnol, sending her N15,000 for the purchase and later another N25,000 for food.
On June 15, she said Ataga once again requested loud, asking her to pay for it since he couldn’t make a bank transfer at the time. He also gave her money for food and juice.
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Upon returning to the apartment after shopping, Chidinma recounted how she struggled to reach Ataga regarding the food order. When she eventually arrived, she found the door slightly ajar, and upon stepping inside, discovered his lifeless body.
“In shock, I wiped the blood off myself, changed my clothes, and packed my belongings,” she said.
Among the items she admitted taking from the apartment were a brown envelope containing Ataga’s bank statements, ID cards, documents belonging to one Mary Johnson, and some pieces of jewelry.
The court adjourned the matter to April 28, 2025, for continuation of trial.
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