Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level student of the University of Lagos standing trial for the alleged murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Ataga, on Monday told a Lagos High Court that fear prevented her from reporting the incident to the police.
Testifying in her defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Chidinma said she was afraid she would be wrongly accused if she came forward.
“I had read of people who reported crimes and ended up being accused. I also thought of calling the gateman again while at the staircase of the apartment, but I ended the call out of fear,” she said.
Chidinma is also facing charges of stealing and forgery, alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu. The trio was arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge.
Opening her defence on April 17, 2025, Chidinma narrated her version of events between June 16 and 23, 2021. She said on June 16, she noticed that a WhatsApp message she had sent to Ataga had been read, and his status was showing "online," even though she had seen him motionless in a pool of blood.
She said repeated calls to his phone went unanswered, which left her confused. “I asked myself if someone else had his phone,” she said.
According to her, she contacted the gateman, Abu, who initially told her that Ataga had left the apartment the day before, only to later reveal that Ataga’s car was still parked at the property.
“Judging by what Abu told me, I said to myself, what have I done? I then sent a WhatsApp message to Michael saying, ‘Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to leave you in that state. I was very scared.’ I was later blocked on that number,” she recounted.
Chidinma also testified that on June 18, she took two laptops — a MacBook and an HP — to Computer Village. She sold the MacBook for N495,000 after claiming it was a gift and unlocking it for inspection. The HP laptop was taken for repairs.
On June 20, she said she invited her sister, Chioma, who was in the eastern part of the country at the time, to visit. Chioma arrived on June 22. Chidinma said she gave Chioma her old iPhone 7 Plus since her sister had lost her phone in April.
Chidinma was arrested by police on June 23. She told the court that she was slapped by an officer during the arrest, but her father intervened. Both were then handcuffed and taken to the Panti police station.
“At the DCP’s office, I said I didn’t know about the death. I explained I ran out of fear and took my belongings. My father was handcuffed for allegedly interfering with the officers’ work,” she said.
She further stated that the police later searched her residence and recovered phones, laptops, clothes, documents, and ID cards. She claimed that she was then handcuffed to a chair in a small room and asked to write a statement.
“I told the officer, Bamidele, that I knew my rights and wanted a lawyer present. He said no lawyer was coming and threatened to arrest my family members, including my 10-year-old sister, if I didn’t cooperate,” she alleged.
Chidinma said she wrote a statement under pressure, but Bamidele tore it and demanded another version. He allegedly showed her graphic crime scene images and claimed that a robe found in the apartment was used to tie Ataga’s hands—an allegation she denied.
“I told him I couldn’t have tied Michael up. He was a huge man,” she said.
She added that the officer also questioned her possession of documents like her UNILAG ID card and bank statements, to which she replied that she was a student who had legally processed them.
Justice Adesanya adjourned the case to April 29, 2025, for continuation of hearing.
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