The trial over the 2021 killing of Super TV chief executive Usifo Ataga is moving into its final stretch, with the third and reportedly last defence witness taking the stand in court this week.
Chioma Ebuche, the sister of prime suspect Chidinma Ojukwu, appeared before the court and gave testimony centred on a mobile phone that prosecutors have linked to the case.
In her evidence, Ebuche told the court that she had no idea the phone her sister gave her had been stolen. According to her account, Chidinma invited her over and handed her the device, which she accepted without asking any questions about where it came from or how it was obtained.
She maintained that position under cross-examination, insisting she had no knowledge of the phone’s origin at the time she received it.
The case has been before the courts since 2021, when Chidinma Ojukwu was arrested in connection with the death of Ataga, whose body was discovered in a short-let apartment in the Lekki area of Lagos. The matter has gone through numerous adjournments and proceedings over the years since then.
With the third defence witness now having testified, the trial is said to be approaching judgment, making this one of the final pieces of evidence the court will hear before a verdict is delivered in a case that has gripped public attention in Nigeria for nearly four years.
