CHIDINMA OJUKWU DENIES STEALING USIFO ATAGA'S LAPTOP, DEFENDS HERSELF IN COURT

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of Super TV CEO, Usifo Ataga, has denied stealing the late businessman’s phones and laptop, insisting during her testimony that the items recovered by police belonged to her.

The 23-year-old former Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, who is currently standing trial for Ataga’s 2021 murder, continued her defence on Monday before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, TBS. She is being tried alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, on charges of murder, theft, and forgery.

Taking the witness stand, Ojukwu told the court that while Ataga was in possession of a MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020 model), she owned a MacBook Pro 16-inch, Core i7 (2019) with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, along with an HP laptop. She confirmed one of the laptops shown in court was hers and said it was among items recovered by the police.

When asked if she had proof of ownership, Ojukwu said she did but added that the receipt went missing after a police search of her home.

She admitted to visiting a computer shop on June 18, 2021, where she attempted to sell the MacBook Pro, claiming the device was gifted to her by one Mr. Fredrick, whom she had lost contact with since her arrest. According to her, the receipt was among several personal items that went missing during the police search.

Responding to questions about a prosecution witness’ claim that she replaced Ataga’s original phone pouch with a fake one worth ₦1,000, Ojukwu said the pouch in question was hers and had been previously posted on her Instagram account, @iamdorabie. Her lawyer presented screenshots of the post, which she confirmed in court. The court admitted the images as evidence.

She also clarified that, during her time with the deceased, she had an iPhone 11 Pro and another iPhone Xx, while an iPhone 7 remained at home. Although she lost receipts for most of her phones, she tendered the one for the iPhone Xx, which was admitted into evidence as Exhibit P25. She also confirmed ownership of a bag containing the phone, ATM cards, pad, voter’s card, and other personal items.

When cross-examined on call records showing she made about 15 calls between June 13 and 18, 2021 nine of which were to co-defendant Adedapo Quadri, Ojukwu admitted the calls, stating they were related to ongoing transactions and other personal dealings.

She explained that in May 2021, a friend had asked for help with obtaining an international passport and driver’s license. During a call with the friend, Quadri phoned her regarding a clothing delivery, and she added him to the conversation. Quadri, she said, claimed to have contacts who could process the documents. Arrangements were made, and subsequent follow-up calls between them were related to the delivery of those items.

Ojukwu also denied forging any documents, including bank statements, a driver’s license, or an international passport. She maintained that the two bank statements found by the police were hers and authentic. She confirmed ownership of her genuine driver’s license and passport but stated that a driver’s license bearing the name “Mary Johnson” did not belong to her.

The court admitted these documents as exhibits and adjourned the case to October 6, 7, 8, 14, 16, 20, and 27 for continued trial.