In the ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwu for the alleged murder of Super TV CEO Michael Ataga, a prosecution witness, DSP Olusegun Bamidele, revealed on Monday at a Lagos State High Court that it was discovered during the investigation that Ataga’s drink had been spiked.
Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, is facing charges alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu.
During the previous hearing, Bamidele informed the court that Ojukwu confessed to spiking Ataga’s drink during the investigation, and he believed her confession.
In the cross-examination by Quadri’s lawyer, Mr. Babatunde Busari, the witness was asked to point out where in the statements of the defendants it was written that the deceased’s drink was spiked before his death. Bamidele responded that this information was established during the investigation.
The witness further stated that Ojukwu and Ataga consumed a substance and alcoholic drinks together, ordering more sets of the substance when the first set was finished. He noted that the first defendant mentioned this in her statement. A dispatch rider reportedly delivered the additional substance that both Ojukwu and Ataga smoked, but efforts to locate the rider were unsuccessful.
The case was adjourned until February 20 for the continuation of the trial. Ojukwu and the two co-defendants were arraigned on October 12, 2021, by the Lagos State Government, facing charges ranging from conspiracy and murder to stabbing, with Egbuchu additionally charged with stealing an iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga.
