Witness testifies how she rented apartment to Chidinma, as trial of murdered Ataga continues today

The trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, accused of murdering Super TV’s Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, continued on Monday at the Lagos State High Court.

As the case resumed, Mrs Nkechi Mogbo, the owner of the rented apartment where Ataga was found dead, continued her testimony.

Mrs Mogbo, while being cross-examined as the first prosecution witness by the first defendant’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, maintained that she never met the defendant nor the victim before the incident.

According to her, the first defendant (Chidinma) had informed her while booking for the apartment that she was lodging with a friend.

Mrs Mogbo said she could not collect the defendant’s international passport for identification before giving her the apartment because Chidinma said her passport was with the immigration for COVID-19 isolation.

Also, the witness said she did not ask for vaccination certificates because she didn’t think it was in her capacity to do so.

Mrs Mogbo claimed that she was not privileged to know if Chidinma was a Nigerian due to the name (Jewel) and the foreign phone number she used while booking the apartment.

Read also: Chidinma pleads ‘not guilty’ in murder of SuperTV CEO, Usifo Ataga

Furthermore, she said when the payment for the apartment was made from another name, she did not raise an eyebrow because payments could be made by a friend or family member.

“I was only running a business just like any other hard-working Nigerian,” the witness said.

Also, she stated that the guest at the apartment adjacent to where the incident occurred, had indicated a week earlier of his intention to leave the premises on June 17, thereby denying being the one who informed the guest to leave the premises after the incident occurred.

She confirmed that it was at the deputy commissioner of police’s office that she identified the defendant through a picture on her phone, while the true caller app on her phone brought out the name (Chidinma Onah) which the defendant used in registering the private number with which she (Mogbo) was called earlier.

The witness went on to explain that the defendant did not inform her that she would vacate the premises for her friend when she asked for two more additional days, adding that when the body was found, her security guard called Chidinma and the defendant only said she went for a meeting and would be back.

Meanwhile, after the cross-examination, the prosecutor, Mrs Adeyinka Adeyemi, who is the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), told the court that she had no re-examination.

Following the development, Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the case until November 16 (today) for further hearing.

Before Monday’s proceedings, three defendants had been arraigned on a nine-count charge preferred against them by the Lagos State government for the alleged murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Michael Usifo Ataga.

The first two defendants, Chidinma Ojukwu and Adedapo Quadri are facing the first eight charges bordering on conspiracy, murder, stabbing, forgery, making of bank statements, and stealing.

The third defendant, who is the first defendant’s sister, Chioma Egbuchu, is facing the ninth count charge of stealing an iPhone 7, belonging to the late Ataga.

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