A Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square on Monday heard fresh testimony from Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the 2021 murder of Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, as she denied stealing the late businessman’s mobile phones and laptop.
Ojukwu, a 23-year-old former Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, maintained that the devices recovered by the police belonged to her, not Ataga.
Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, Ojukwu insisted that she was the rightful owner of a MacBook Pro 16-inch, Core i7 (2019 model), with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, along with an HP laptop—distinct from the 13-inch 2020 MacBook Pro Ataga reportedly had.
She stated that although she had proof of purchase, the receipt was among several personal items that went missing following a police search of her home.
Ojukwu also admitted that she visited a computer store on June 18, 2021, to sell the MacBook, claiming it was a gift from a man named Mr. Fredrick, whom she had not contacted since her arrest.
Responding to the allegation that she swapped Ataga’s phone pouch with a cheaper one worth ₦1,000, she claimed the pouch in question was hers and had been featured in a post on her Instagram page, @iamdorable. Her lawyer, Onwuka Egwu, tendered screenshots of the post, which were admitted as evidence by the court.
Ojukwu is standing trial alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, on charges of murder, theft, and forgery related to Ataga’s death.
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.
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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 a 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 the trial.
