Lagos, November 26, 2025 – In a dramatic and emotionally charged moment inside the Lagos State High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square, Chidinma Ojukwu, the 24-year-old University of Lagos student accused of murdering Super TV Chief Executive Officer Michael Usifo Ataga, openly expressed regret over his death during a tense cross-examination on Tuesday.
The 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate, who has been in custody since June 2021, took the witness stand for the first time as the defence opened its case. Appearing composed but visibly strained after years behind bars, Ojukwu faced rigorous questioning from the Lagos State prosecuting counsel, Mr. Y. A. Sule.
The pivotal exchange came when the prosecutor asked her directly: “Do you regret that Michael Usifo Ataga died?”
After a brief pause, Ojukwu replied in a clear voice that echoed through the packed courtroom: “I regret that he died.”
The admission drew audible reactions from those present, marking one of the few instances in the long-running trial where the prime suspect has publicly acknowledged any form of remorse regarding the tragic events of June 2021.
Ojukwu is facing trial on a nine-count charge alongside two co-defendants – her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and Adedapo Quadri – for conspiracy to commit murder, murder, forgery, and stealing. The charges stem from the discovery of Ataga’s stabbed and bound body in a pool of blood inside a short-let apartment at 19 Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, where the deceased and Ojukwu had checked in as a couple on June 13, 2021.
Tuesday’s proceedings centred largely on digital forensics and the handling of electronic devices allegedly belonging to the late businessman. The prosecution sought to prove that Ojukwu stole Ataga’s iPhone and MacBook Pro after his death and later disposed of them for financial gain.
To bolster this claim, the state tendered receipts from a phone and gadget retail outlet known as ‘Phone Hub’. The documents showed that on June 23, 2021 – eight days after Ataga’s body was found – someone traded in an iPhone and sold a 2020 model MacBook Pro for the sum of ₦495,000. The transaction amount was paid into a Sterling Bank account bearing Chidinma Ojukwu’s name.
Under cross-examination, Ojukwu admitted visiting Phone Hub and selling the laptop, confirming that the money was indeed transferred to her account. However, she categorically denied stealing the device from the deceased.
“That MacBook was a birthday gift to me,” she insisted. “The person who gifted it to me also gave me the receipt. It was my personal property.”
The defence team, led by Mr. Onwuka Egwu, mounted a strong objection to the admissibility of the Phone Hub receipts, arguing that the documents constituted fresh evidence that had not been front-loaded as required by law, thereby amounting to an ambush on the defendant.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Yetunde Adesanya overruled the objection, holding that the receipts were relevant to the issues in controversy and admissible as exhibits. The documents were subsequently marked and admitted into evidence.
Ojukwu further told the court that she sold the laptop several days after she had already vacated the short-let apartment where the incident occurred. She maintained that she continued using her own phone to make and receive calls after leaving the premises, but insisted she was not the last person to see Ataga alive.
When pressed on whether she had attempted to wipe digital footprints or manipulate evidence, Ojukwu replied that she possessed no technical knowledge of Information Technology and could not have tampered with any devices or online trails.
The session was characterised by sharp legal exchanges, with the defence repeatedly cautioning the prosecution against leading questions and speculative lines of inquiry. Justice Adesanya intervened on several occasions to guide the proceedings and ensure fairness.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s hearing, the judge adjourned the trial to February 9, 10, 17, and 23, 2026, for continuation of defence evidence. Ojukwu remains the first defence witness, with the defence indicating it intends to call a total of four witnesses. In contrast, the prosecution has already closed its case after presenting approximately ten witnesses over the past four years.
Background of a Case that has Gripped the Nation
The murder of Michael Usifo Ataga shocked Nigeria in June 2021. The married 50-year-old CEO was found dead with multiple stab wounds, his hands tied with an apron, and a note bearing Chidinma Ojukwu’s name discovered beside the body. Large withdrawals – totalling over ₦5 million – had also been made from his accounts in the hours surrounding his death.
Ojukwu was arrested days later in her father’s house in Yaba. In a widely circulated video-recorded statement shortly after her arrest, she confessed to stabbing Ataga during an altercation, claiming he had forced himself on her after they had taken drugs together. She later retracted the confession in court, stating it was made under duress.
Now in its fifth year, the trial has been plagued by numerous adjournments, changes in legal representation, and the COVID-19 pandemic delays. Public interest remains intense, with the case raising broader conversations about youth, relationships, substance abuse, and the criminal justice system in Nigeria.
As the defence finally opens its case, all eyes will be on the remaining witnesses and whether they can cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s narrative that Chidinma Ojukwu premeditatedly murdered Michael Ataga and attempted to cover her tracks.
For now, her simple but poignant courtroom statement – “I regret that he died” – has added a new layer of complexity to a case that has long divided public opinion between those who see her as a cold-blooded killer and those who believe she may have acted in self-defence or under extreme provocation.
The Lagos High Court will reconvene in February 2026 to continue what remains one of Nigeria’s most closely watched murder trials.
