Proceedings were delayed on Tuesday in the trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, an undergraduate charged with the murder of Super TV CEO Michael Usifo Ataga.
Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, is on trial at the Lagos State High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square, alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri, for Ataga’s murder, which took place on June 15, 2021.
The court had scheduled Tuesday to hear no-case submissions filed by Quadri and Egbuchu. However, the absence of Egbuchu’s lawyer, CJ Jiakpona, who sent a letter requesting an adjournment due to a conflicting matter at the Federal High Court, stalled the hearing.
Quadri’s lawyer, Babatunde Busari, informed the court that his client’s no-case submission was ready and did not pertain to Egbuchu. However, Justice Yetunde Adesanya stated she could not proceed in the absence of the third defendant’s lawyer and adjourned the case until December 5, 2024, for the hearing.
The defendants were arraigned on October 12, 2021, by the Lagos State Government. Ojukwu and Quadri face multiple charges, including conspiracy, murder, and stabbing, while Egbuchu is charged with the theft of Ataga’s iPhone 7.
Ojukwu and Quadri are accused of conspiring and fatally stabbing Ataga in the neck and chest at a residence in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. The prosecution, having called 11 witnesses, closed its case, leading the defendants to file no-case submissions, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to require a defense.
During the trial, Ojukwu claimed she was coerced into signing statements by police officers. However, on May 4, 2023, Justice Adesanya ruled that the prosecution had proven that Ojukwu’s statements were made voluntarily, with no evidence of intimidation.