Court to Resume Trial of Chidinma Ojukwu in Usifo Ataga Murder Case on October 15
The High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos State will on October 15, 2024, resume the trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, charged with the murder of the Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga.
Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, is charged with the murder of Ataga, the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri.
Ojukwu and the two others were arraigned on October 12, 2021 by the Lagos State Government.
Ojukwu and Quadri are facing the first to eight counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, and stabbing.
Egbuchu, however, is facing the ninth count of stealing an iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga.
A Director and Consultant for the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre Dr Richard Somiari told court in April that the DNA blood sample found on Chidinma Ojukwu’s red dress matched that of murdered businessman, Usifo Ataga.
Somiari who is the 11th prosecution witness spoke while giving evidence gave his evidence before a Lagos High Court, at Tafawa Balewa Square, on Tuesday in Lagos at the resumed hearing of the case.
Somiari was led in evidence by the Lagos State Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs Adenike Oluwafemi.
He told the court that he had practiced on the area of forensic for a period of 15 years and had conducted over 500 forensic tests.
The forensic analyst told the court that his office received 21 different items on different days from their DNA centre staff members.
He said the items were received for evidence and they included a stained red dress, an army green Tshirt, a DNA sample from Chidinma Ojukwu. Adding that other items received were urine, blood, gastric content and byle which were retained for toxicology report.
He said that the goal was to create an evidence triangle to link the suspect to the crime scene and the victim.
Somiari said that the DNA on the red dress matched that of the victim, Ataga.
He, however, said that the DNA did not match that of Chidinma and the other suspects, Babalola Disu and Oluwatomi Dada.
The witness narrated how the result of the toxicology report was forwarded to the office of the Attorney-General of Lagos, the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions. Stating that not all forensic reports went through such procedure.
When asked if he questioned the report given by Dr Andrea Nuhu, the witness said: “I have already said that I am not a toxicologist. It is a toxicologist that can do such.”
Egwu, however, requested for the video of the crime scene to be played and the court granted it
While the video was playing, he asked the witness whether the samples of the blood on the cotton, the wall, duvet, white polo the victim was wearing, were tested.
The witness answered that the samples were not submitted. Saying that the markers indicated in his report had nothing to do with the video.
