Alleged Murder: Chidinma Ojukwu Testifies, Says She Regrets Ataga’s Death

A defendant, Chidinma Ojukwu, told a Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square yesterday that she regrets the death of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Michael Ataga.

Ojukwu made the remark while testifying under cross-examination. She is on trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and Adedapo Quadri on charges of murder, conspiracy, and stealing. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.

When proceedings resumed, prosecuting counsel Mr. Y. Sule questioned Ojukwu about her feelings regarding Ataga’s death. In response, she told the court:
“I regret that he died.”

Ojukwu also stated that she was not the last person to see Ataga alive and denied leaving the apartment with his electronic devices.

The prosecution confronted her with claims that she took Ataga’s gadgets. Sule further questioned her about the MacBook and phones found in her possession at the time of her arrest and asked whether she understood how such devices operate.

He presented two receipts allegedly showing her transactions with Phone Hub, where she had reportedly exchanged her iPhone. Ojukwu denied prior knowledge of the documents but admitted visiting the shop to sell her MacBook Pro for N495,000, adding that the payment was made into her Sterling Bank account.

When the prosecution sought to tender the receipts as evidence, defence counsel Mr. Onwuka Egwu objected, but Justice Yetunde Adesanya overruled him and admitted the documents as relevant.

Sule then asked if the sale occurred after Ataga’s death. Ojukwu replied that the transaction happened days after she had already left the apartment. She also acknowledged that her personal details were on the phone recovered by police and said she continued using it to make calls after leaving the scene.

When asked if the MacBook was a birthday gift and whether she had the receipt, she confirmed both, noting that the person who gifted her the device also gave her the receipt.

During re-examination, the defence questioned her academic background. Ojukwu told the court she was a 300-level Mass Communication student before her arrest and had no expertise in information technology.

The court adjourned the matter to February 9, 2026 for continuation of trial. Ojukwu is the first defence witness, and her legal team plans to call about four witnesses. The prosecution has already presented roughly 10 witnesses.

Ojukwu and Ataga had reportedly lodged together in a short-let apartment in Lagos, where police later discovered Ataga’s body in a pool of blood.

The case, which began in 2021, is now in its fifth year.

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