A defendant, Chidinma Ojukwu, on Tuesday, told a Lagos High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square, that she regretted the death of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Michael Ataga.
Ojukwu said this while testifying under cross examination.
The defendant is standing trial alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri, on charges bordering on murder, conspiracy, and stealing.
They had each, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
When trial resumed on Tuesday, Mr. Y. A. Sule announced appearance for the prosecution.
Under cross examination, the prosecutor asked the defendant if she regretted the death of the deceased.
In response, Ojukwu told the court that she regretted the death of Ataga.
She had replied, “I regret that he died.”
Ojukwu further told the court that she was not the last person to see Ataga alive and also denied leaving the apartment with his gadgets.
The prosecutor had confronted the defendant with allegations that she took Ataga’s gadgets after his death.
He had also asked her about the phones and MacBook in her possession at the time of her arrest, and further asked if she understood how mobile devices and laptops operate.
Sule presented two receipts showing her transactions with Phone Hub, where she had reportedly, swapped her iPhone.
In response, Ojukwu denied having prior knowledge of the documents, but admitted that she visited the outlet to sell her MacBook Pro for N495,000.
She added that the company paid the money into her Sterling Bank account.
When the prosecution sought to tender the documents in evidence, defence counsel Mr Onwuka Egwu, raised objection.
He argued that the prosecution was ambushing the defendant with documents that had not been previously disclosed, contrary to legal requirements.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya overruled the objection, and admitted the documents as being relevant evidence.
The prosecution then asked whether the transaction took place after Ataga’s death, and the defendant replied that it occurred days after she had left the apartment.
She added that her personal details appeared on the phone recovered by the police and that she had continued to use it to make calls after leaving the apartment.
When the prosecutor asked whether the MacBook was a birthday gift and if she had the receipt, the defendant confirmed that it was a birthday gift and that the person who gave it to her also gave her the receipt.
Meanwhile, during re-examination, defence counsel asked about Ojukwu’s educational background.
In response, she told the court that she was a 300-level Mass Communication student before her arrest, adding that she had no expertise in information technology.
The court adjourned until February 9, 2026, for continuation of trial.
Ojukwu is the first witness for the defence.
The defence informed the court that they intended to call about four witnesses.
On its part, the prosecution had called about 10 witnesses.
It was reported that Ojukwu and Ataga were lodged together at a short-let apartment in Lagos, where the police later found the body of the deceased in a pool of blood.
The case began in 2021.
Source: NAN
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