Chidinma Ojukwu, the undergraduate accused of killing Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Michael Usifo Ataga, on Tuesday told the Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square that she regrets the businessman’s death, even as she maintained her innocence in the ongoing murder trial.
Ojukwu, who has repeatedly denied murdering Ataga, made the remark under cross-examination by the prosecution. She is standing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri on charges bordering on murder, conspiracy and stealing. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the prosecution, represented by Y. A. Sule, resumed its cross-examination by asking the defendant whether she regretted the late CEO’s death. “I regret that he died,” Ojukwu replied.
She insisted she was not the last person to see Ataga alive and denied leaving the apartment with his electronic devices. The prosecutor confronted her with claims that she had taken Ataga’s gadgets and asked detailed questions about the phones and MacBook found in her possession when she was arrested.
Sule also tendered two receipts allegedly linked to her transactions with Phone Hub, where she reportedly swapped an iPhone and sold a MacBook Pro. Ojukwu denied prior knowledge of the receipts but admitted selling her MacBook Pro to the company for ₦495,000, with payment made into her Sterling Bank account.
Defence counsel, Onwuka Egwu, objected to the tendering of the documents, arguing that the prosecution had failed to disclose them earlier as required by law. Trial judge, Justice Yetunde Adesanya, overruled the objection and admitted the receipts as relevant evidence.
When asked whether the MacBook transaction occurred after Ataga’s death, Ojukwu said it took place days after she left the apartment. She also confirmed that her personal details appeared on a phone recovered by the police, adding that she continued using the device to make calls after departing the short-let location.
The defendant further testified that the MacBook was a birthday gift and that the giver also provided the receipt.
During re-examination, the defence highlighted Ojukwu’s academic background. She told the court she was a 300-level Mass Communication student at the time of her arrest and had no expertise in information technology.
The court adjourned the matter to 9 February 2026 for continuation of trial. Ojukwu is the first defence witness, and the defence team plans to call about four witnesses. The prosecution has so far called approximately 10 witnesses.
The high-profile case, which began in 2021 after Ataga was found dead in a short-let apartment in Lagos, has entered its fifth year of trial.
