In a dramatic turn during the ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, the 300-level University of Lagos student accused of the murder of Super TV CEO Michael Ataga, the defendant took the witness stand to narrate her version of events. Her testimony, marked by visible emotion and moments of hesitation, shed light on her actions following the discovery of Ataga’s lifeless body.
Fear of Misjudgment and Delayed Reporting
During her appearance before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square, Chidinma explained why she failed to notify the police after allegedly finding Ataga dead. According to her, fear of being unjustly implicated held her back.
“I had read about people who reported crimes and ended up being accused. I didn’t want that to happen to me,” she told the court. She recounted how, even as she stood on the staircase of the apartment, she hesitated to call the security personnel, ending the call midway out of sheer panic.
Details from the Days That Followed
The defendant opened her case on April 17, 2025, offering a detailed timeline spanning from June 16 to June 23, 2021. She recounted that on June 16, after seeing Ataga unresponsive, she noticed that her WhatsApp messages to him were marked as “read,” and his status appeared online. “I was confused,” she said. “I kept calling, but his number was rejecting my calls.”
In a state of turmoil, she contacted the apartment’s gateman, identified only as Abu. His response—that Ataga had allegedly left the day before—further deepened her confusion. When Abu later mentioned that Ataga’s vehicle was still parked at the premises, Chidinma realized something was gravely wrong. She sent a message to Ataga via WhatsApp saying, “Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to leave you in that state. I was very scared.” According to her, she was then blocked from his contact.
Sale of Property and Contact with Co-Accused
By June 18, Chidinma said she took two laptops—a MacBook and an HP—to Computer Village in Lagos. She sold the MacBook for N495,000 after providing a justification that it was a gift from December 2020 and unlocking it for verification. The HP laptop was left for repairs.
Chidinma’s testimony also involved her co-defendants, Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu. On June 20, she contacted Chioma and invited her to Lagos. Chioma, who had been in the eastern part of Nigeria, arrived on June 22. Chidinma then gave her a spare phone, an iPhone 7 Plus, stating Chioma had lost hers in April.
The Arrest and Allegations of Police Coercion
Chidinma was arrested on June 23, 2021. She recalled that her father was present during the arrest and that both of them were handcuffed. At the police station in Panti, she said an officer assaulted her before they were taken to her residence for a search.
There, police allegedly recovered her phones, laptop, a bag with clothes, ID cards, and other personal documents. She claimed she was later isolated, with her left hand cuffed to a chair, and pressured to write a statement without legal representation.
One officer, identified as Bamidele, was accused by Chidinma of threatening her with the arrest of her family members, including her 10-year-old sister. Under pressure, she said she began to write the statement. However, the officer reportedly tore it up and forced her to rewrite it, even showing her graphic images from the crime scene to extract a confession.
“I told him I couldn’t have tied Michael up. He was a huge man,” she said in response to claims that a robe recovered from the apartment had been used to restrain the deceased.
Chidinma also defended her possession of official documents like her voter’s card, UNILAG ID, and bank records, insisting that she obtained them legally.
Adjournment and Continuing Legal Battle
Justice Adesanya adjourned proceedings to April 29, 2025, as the court prepares to continue hearing the high-profile case that has gripped public attention since 2021.