Ataga murder: Chidinma transferred N5m from Usifo’s account the day he died

A Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square on Thursday, heard how a 300 level Mass Communication under graduate of the University of Lagos, Chidinma Ojukwu, transferred the sum of Five million naira on June 15, 2021 from the account of the Chief Executive Officer of Super Tv, late Usifo Ataga.

The ninth prosecution witness DSP Olusegun Bamidele, told the court while resuming his testimony in the murder
trial of Mr Ataga, ongoing before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.

Chidinma is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri.

At the resumed hearing, of the case on Thursday, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (DDPP), Adenike Oluwafemi, asked for exhibit P11, which is the Access Bank Statement of Mr Ataga and asked the police witness to tell the court why he had the Bank statements of the deceased.

DSP Bamidele said that during the course of investigation, the police wrote to the Bank asking for the bank statement of the deceased and a copy was given to them.

He said that a close look at the copies of the bank statements showed that on June 15, the first defendant used the deceased’s phone to transfer N5m from his account to another bank. He added that she also made more deductions from the account.

“On June 16, 2021, four transactions of N20,000 were made from the deceased’s account on June 17, another withdrawal of N20,000 was made five times and the remarks was transfer between customers.

” On the same June 16, N50,000 was transferred to Nkech Mogbo, another N11,200 of fund was also transferred to Caprical Capital, on the same June 16, another N50,000 was transferred to from Ataga’s account to Mogbo and another N93,000 transferred from Ataga’s Gtb bank to his Access bank account.

“A transfer of N110,000.75kobo was debited from the deceased’s account on June 18, 2021.

” On June 19, 2021, a transfer of N20,000 was made four times on that same day another transfer of N20,000 was made five times and it was through the USSD code,” DSP Bamidele said.

The witness also explained to the court how they wrote Gtb Bank to get Mr Ataga’s statement of account.

He said that on June 13,2021, there was an internet transfer of N10,000 to Chidinma, another N105,000 was also transferred to Chidinma on same June 13, for the payment of the short service let paid to Nkechi Mogbo, the owner of the apartment they rented.

” On that same June 13, there was a N13,000 purchase transaction at Ango Villa, 14,200, transaction for purchase at Dwine Bar global, on the same June 13, there was a transfer of N20,399.

“On June 14, 2021, there was N21,000 transfer from Ataga’s account to Chidinma’s account and another transfer of N15,000 paid to Chidinma, there was a N5000 transaction that was made on June 14 and paid to Adiba Online choppy,” he said.

When the prosecution sought to admit the written statements of the defendants, Chidinma’s counsel, Onwuka Egwu, objected to the admissibility of the document.

He said that she didn’t make the statements voluntarily that the statements were obtained by oppression, inducement, intimidation and under duress and urged the court to test the voluntariness of the statements.

The other defense counsel didn’t object to the tendering of the statement.

Justice Adesanya adjourned the case to November 8, for trial within trial to determine whether Chidinma made the statement voluntarily whilst in police custody.

Miss Ojukwu was arraigned alongside two others Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu on October, 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge over the alleged murder of Mr Ataga. The charges were preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.

Chidinma Ojukwu and Adedapo Quadri are facing the first to eight counts bordering on alleged conspiracy, murder, stabbing, forgery, making of bank statements and stealing.

They were alleged to have conspired and murdered Mr Ataga on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him several times with a knife on the neck and chest.

The third defendant, Chioma Egbuchu, is facing the ninth count of receiving a stolen iPhone 7 belonging to the deceased.

The Security guard of the short Let service apartment, Abubakar Mohammed where Mr Ataga was murdered had during his evidence before the court on November, 16, 2021, said that Chidinma left the apartment on Tuesday, night which was June 15,2021 and never came back.

He had also told the court that it was on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, that the dead body was discovered.