A University of Lagos 300-level student on trial for the alleged murder of Super TV CEO Michael Ataga, Chidinma Ojukwu, told a Lagos State High Court on Monday that she refrained from reporting the incident to the police because she was afraid of being falsely implicated.

Chidinma, who testified before Justice Yetunde Adesanya in the court’s Tafawa Balewa Square division, explained that she was reluctant to do so because she had seen people accused after reporting crimes in the past. She also said that, out of nervousness, she had thought of calling the apartment’s security man but ended the conversation.

Chidinma is charged with nine counts, including murder, theft, and forgery, along with co-defendants Adedapo Quadri and her sister Chioma Egbuchu. On April 17, 2025, she started outlining the circumstances of Ataga’s death in June 2021 as part of her defense. She said that despite seeing Ataga laying still in a pool of blood, she discovered his WhatsApp account still active. Several phone calls to him were unsuccessful, raising the possibility that his phone was stolen.

She said she spoke with Abu, the gatekeeper at the property, who at first indicated Ataga had departed. He later verified, nevertheless, that the victim’s car was still parked there. Chidinma claimed that after that, she sent Ataga a message expressing her regret and pleading for her forgiveness, adding, “I didn’t mean to leave you in that state.” She was barred from his number after saying, “I was really scared.”

According to Chidinma’s testimony, on June 18, 2021, she brought two laptops—an HP and a MacBook—to Computer Village, one for sale and the other for repair. After haggling, she sold the MacBook for ₦495,000, claiming it was a gift. She got in touch with her sister Chioma on June 20. On June 22, she landed in Lagos. Chidinma gave Chioma an old iPhone 7 Plus because she had misplaced her phone in April.

She described how she and her father were handcuffed and transferred to Panti after being apprehended by police on June 23, 2021. She testified in court that she denied owning Ataga’s possessions and told police that she had fled the crime scene out of fear. Chidinma went on to say that Bamidele, a police officer, brought a blank statement form and instructed her to write one without legal counsel. She claimed that Bamidele threatened to have her family, including her 10-year-old sister, arrested when she insisted on having a lawyer present.

She claims that after displaying her photos from the crime scene, Bamidele destroyed her first statement and made her write a new one. She stated that she refuted his assertion that a robe used to tie the body belonged to her. She remarked, “I informed him that I couldn’t have overpowered Michael. He was a huge man.”

The trial is still ongoing as the court considers additional testimony and supporting documentation in connection with the well-known issue that has garnered a lot of public interest since 2021.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.