The trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged murder suspect of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, before a Lagos High Court, sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, was yesterday stalled due to the composure, of the witness.
Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, (first defendant), and two others over Ataga’s murder.
Ojukwu is standing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.
At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the Prosecuting counsel Yusuf Sule, asked the court to adjourned the trial till tomorrow (today), November 30.
He told Justice Yetunde Adesanya, that the grounds for which he was asking for the adjournment, was that the witness they are calling, just arrived the court, from Asaba this morning (yesterday).
Sule said, “We would be asking for an adjournment for tomorrow, on the grounds that the witness we are calling just came in from Asaba this morning and he is not really composed”.
However, the first defendant’s counsel, Onwuka Egwu, did not object to the application of the prosecution.
The second defendant’s counsel Babatunde Busari, said though he is not opposing the application, but that the prosecution have other witnesses they could have called.
On his part, the third defendant’s counsel O.A. Ogunsanya, told the court that they would oblige the prosecution’s adjournment in the interest of justice.
Consequently Justice Adesanya, at the instance of the prosecution, granted the oral application, for adjournment and adjourned the case till November 30, for continuation of trial.
At the last adjourned date, a business man, Ifeoluwa Oluwo, had narrated to the Court, of how he bought late Ataga’s Apple MacBook Laptop, for N495,000, from Chidinma Ojukwu.
He said that he bought the Laptop from the first defendant, for the sum of N495,000, after negotiations, on June 18,2021, (two days after the body of Ataga was found at the short service apartment in Lekki).
The witness told the court that it was after the sale of the Laptop, that they saw her (defendant) face on social media, regarding a murder case connected to her, and that the name was very familiar to the customer they had business with earlier, so he ensured that all her documents were kept handy.
The witness who was the third prosecution witness narrated that the first defendant (Chidinma), was a customer, who made a purchase of a phone on April 30, 2021 and also made a sale of her laptop on June 18, 2021, at the same office.
The three defendants were arraigned on October, 12 on a nine-count charge preferred against them by Lagos State Government.
Ojukwu and Quadri are facing the first to eight counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stabbing, forgery, making of bank statements and stealing.
The third defendant, Egbuchu, is facing the ninth count of stealing iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga.
The first and second defendants were alleged to have conspired and murdered Ataga on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him severally with a knife on the neck and chest.
The alleged murder took place at No. 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
Chidinma and Quadri were also accused of committing forgery by procuring and making bank account statements purported to have been made by the deceased.
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