A Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square yesterday heard fresh testimony from Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, as she denied stealing the deceased’s mobile phones and laptop.
Ojukwu, a 23-year-old former Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, told the court that the electronic devices recovered by the police belonged to her and not the late businessman.
She continued her defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, insisting on her ownership of the items. Ojukwu is standing trial alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, on charges bordering on murder, theft, and forgery, over the 2021 killing of Ataga.
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.
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Responding to questions about a prosecution witness’s allegation that she swapped Usifo Ataga’s original phone pouch with a fake one valued at N1,000, Ojukwu told the court that the pouch in question was actually hers.
She added that she had previously shared a photo of it on her Instagram handle, @iamdorable. Her lawyer, Onwuka Egwu, tendered screenshots of the Instagram post, which Ojukwu 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 for continuation of trial.