Twist As Prime Suspect In Super TV CEO’s Murder Makes U-turn Says ‘I Found His Lifeless Body In Lekki Apartment’

Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the 2021 death of Super TV CEO Michael Usifo Ataga, told a Lagos High Court on Thursday how she discovered his body in a short-let apartment in Lekki.

Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, the former UNILAG student recounted that on June 15, 2021, she returned to the apartment after buying food and juice. After knocking several times without a response, she pushed the door open and found Ataga lying in a pool of blood.

“I rushed to him, but his eyes were half-shut and there was no pulse,” she said, visibly emotional.

Led in evidence by her lawyer, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Chidinma revealed that she met Ataga in November 2020 through a mutual friend. She described him as kind and generous, noting that he paid her school fees and supported her cosmetics business.

She testified that Ataga invited her to spend time with him ahead of his birthday. Due to renovations at his Victoria Garden City residence, they rented a short-let apartment on Adewale Street, Lekki, on June 13. She said they spent time together, dined out, drank wine, and later smoked.

According to her, on June 14, Ataga requested cannabis and rohypnol, for which he sent her N15,000. He later gave her N25,000 for food. On June 15, he allegedly requested more cannabis and asked her to buy it, along with more food and juice.

Upon her return, she noticed bloodstains at the entrance and found Ataga’s lifeless body inside. In a panic, she said she cleaned herself up, changed clothes, and packed her belongings—including Ataga’s bank documents, ID cards, jewellery, and items belonging to one Mary Johnson—before leaving in a cab.

The trial continues on April 28.