A witness in the ongoing trial of undergraduate, Chidinma Ojukwu, who’s charged with the murder of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, has narrated how family and friends searched for him but found his body five days later in the mortuary on his birthday.
Rotimi Albert made the revelation on Tuesday, while giving evidence as the fourth prosecution witness, before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos High Court, sitting at the annex of the Tafawa Balewa Square.
The witness, who introduced himself as a long time school mate and family friend to the late Mr Ataga, said a mutual friend of theirscalled him in the evening of June 16th and asked if he had seen or heard from the deceased, as no one had heard from him since Sunday (June 13th).
The witness said he tried calling the deceased on phone on June 17, his birthday, but he didn’t pick the calls so he sent a WhatsApp message which delivered.
“I was surprised when he didn’t return my calls nor reply my messages.
“I started calling other friends to ask if anyone had seen him, even his siblings abroad called me to ask about Ataga’s whereabout. I told them I was also worried.
“His wife and family were also looking for him because they were supposed to celebrate his birthday with him in Abuja,” he said.
The witness told the court that the wife to the deceased then informed the police about their worries.
He said the phone of the deceased was tracked and it was noticed that the phone was last used at the University of Lagos guest house.
According to him, on June 17th, he and a mutual friend went there, but didn’t find Mr Ataga’s vehicle at the guest house.
He added that a phone tracker also indicated that the phone was used at the Alagomeji area, and that tracking became difficult because the movement kept changing.
“In the course of all these, we got a call that Usifo is deceased and in the mortuary.
“We therefore went to Panti police station, there we found out that the police had already visited the crime scene.
“After going to the crime scene, the police told us to go to the mortuary to identify the body so we went and confirmed it was Usifo Ataga.
“At the mortuary, I observed that he was assaulted with multiple stab wounds on his neck, abdomen, his side and leg.
“I also observed that his wrist had rope marks and deep indentations. That was how I got to know that my friend was deceased,” witness said.
The Lagos State Director for Public Prosecutions, Adeyinka Adeyemi, led the witness in his testimony.
After his examination-in-chief, the witness was cross examined by the first defendant counsel, Onwuka Egwu.
The witness said he was not the one checking and tracking the deceased’s phone and his bank transactions but a mutual friend.
The witness also clarified that he made a statement at the police station which was tendered by the defence counsel and admitted as evidence.
The counsel to the second and third defendants, Babatunde Busari and Olajide Ogunsanya said they did not have any question for the witness.
Justice Adesanya then adjourned the case until February 14, 2022 for continuation of trial.
Miss Ojukwu and one Adedapo Quadri are facing trial for the murder, while her sister, Chioma Egbuchu is accused of receiving the late Mr Ataga’s stolen phone.
The media executive’s body was discovered at the studio flat of a short-let building in Lekki Phase 1, Which he and Chidinma allegedly shared between June 13 and 16, 2021.
The three defendants were arraigned on October 12 this year on a nine-count charge preferred against them by the Lagos State Government, bordering on conspiracy, murder, forgery and stealing.
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