News

Confession: How I Killed Super TV Boss – Chidinma

Published

3 years ago

October 12, 2022

A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday watched the video recording of the lifeless body of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, allegedly murdered on June 15, 2021.

An undergraduate, Chidinma Ojukwu, and one Adedapo Quadri are standing trial for Ataga’s murder.

They were arraigned alongside Ojukwu’s sister, Chioma Egbuchu, accused of stealing Ataga’s iPhone 7.

Ataga’s body was seen in the video lying on the ground facing up, with his hands spread.

He was wearing a white singlet and boxer’s pants stained with blood.

His head was close to a wall at the short-service apartment where he was allegedly murdered.

There was blood on the floor. Blood also stained the pillow and duvet on the bed in the room.

In the same Compact Disc, a video showing Ojukwu narrating how she murdered Ataga was played.

In the video, Ojukwu narrated that she met Ataga through a friend.

She said that, on June 13, 2021, the deceased called her and asked her to get a place for them to stay, and she got the short let service apartment where the deceased died.

She said: “After I got the place on Sunday, we were smoking loud, drinking, watching movies

“Then, I went to get food, the drug we were taking got finished and I ordered another one and went downstairs to get it from the delivery guy in the morning.”

The first defendant said the above-mentioned incident occurred on June 14, 2021.

”Then, on Tuesday, we drank, smoke loud and I added Rophynol to his drink. We had sex, and I was on the bed and he was on a chair.

“Later, he started disturbing me for more sex. I was tired, and after struggling with him, he had his way and still wanted more.

“He was no longer himself, and I thought he was no more interested in sex, only for him to return to the bed to ask for more.

“I pushed him away which resulted in his hitting his head against a stool that had a glass, he had a cut on his leg and he became weak.”

Ojukwu said that she then took a knife and stabbed Ataga on the neck, ribs and stomach, so he would not be able to harm her.

“I tied his hands with a handkerchief. His blood was out and I was scared. I just packed everything, my clothes were also stained with blood, I just packed my things and left.

“I took the knife and handkerchief, and when I got home, I threw the knife and handkerchief away.
Michael was a friend. I didn’t know him that deeply, and we didn’t talk regularly,” she said in the video clip.

When she was asked in the video if she was assisted in killing the deceased, Ojukwu said, “There was nobody that assisted me, I did it alone.”

When asked why she didn’t call for help, she said, ”Obviously I was scared, that was why I left.”

She said that there was no motive for killing Ataga.

In the video, the ninth prosecution witness in the murder trial, DSP Olusegun Bamidele from the Intelligence and Tactical Unit of the State Criminal Investigating Department, Panti Yaba, was seen in interrogating Ojukwu at Panti.

He also asked her why she was using a foreign phone number and the motive behind her hiding her phone number.

Ojukwu said that she already had a foreign number registered on social media which she used to chat with people.

Asked why the owner of the service apartment didn’t know her identity, she said, “She didn’t ask for my identification.

“If she had said that the place was not available I would have left for another place.”

Ojukwu responded to a question in the video about why she used Mary Johnson to open a bank account. She said that she was attempting to open an account number which got blocked.

On an Identification card she procured, Ojukwu said, “It was someone that did it and you can’t see his face.

“I don’t know the contact of the person. I was just going through the internet and I saw a contact to call.”

She also said in the video that she opened a domiciliary account for depositing dollars.

At this point, prosecution counsel, Adenike Oluwafemi, reminded the witness of his evidence on May 10, when he said that he recovered some items from the defendant’s house.

Bamidele responded by listing the things he allegedly recovered from Ojukwu’s house.

He told Justice Yetunde Adesanya that he recovered a small pink purse containing two syringes, eight pieces of Rophynol tablets, two sanitary pads, a small perfume, jewelry, an iPhone belonging to first defendant, a notebook, a diary, and a HP laptop.

The witness listed the other items to including an identity card with the name: Ojukwu Chidinma Adora; Ataga’s driver’s licence, Ojukwu’s United Bank for Africa automated teller machine card and Super net identity card in Ataga’s name.

Other items, according to the witness, are three other cards that had the deceased’s name and six blank complimentary cards.

After identifying the items, Oluwafemi prayed the court to admit them in evidence.

However, Ojukwu’s counsel, Mr C.C. Ezebube, objected to the admissibility of the items.

Ezebube said that the custody of the items was not specified before the court – from the moment of recovery to that of tendering them before the court.

He said, “Some of the items could have been picked from anywhere, there is no originality as these items can be reproduced from anywhere.

Quadri’s counsel, Mr Babatunde Busari, and Egbuchu’s counsel, F.O. Ilesunmi, did not object to the tendering of the items in evidence.

In a ruling, the judge dismissed the objection and admitted the items in evidence.

Earlier, the witness showed the court some pictures of the apartment where Ataga was allegedly murdered.

The three defendants were arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge brought against them by Lagos State Government.

Ojukwu and Quadri are facing the first to eight counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stabbing, forgery, making of bank statements, and stealing.

The third defendant, Egbuchu, is facing the ninth count – stealing of an iPhone 7 belonging to Ataga.

Ojukwu and Quadri are alleged to have conspired and murdered Ataga on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him several times with a knife on the neck and chest.

The alleged murder took place at 19, Adewale Oshin St., Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday for the continuation of trial.

NAN

News

27-year-old Man Dies Inside Deep Well In Ogbomoso

Published

3 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The corpse of a 27-year-old man identified as Alagbe Gbemisoye has been recovered from a deep well at Ire-Akari, Adeniran area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

His body was retrieved by officials of the Oyo State Fire Service after passersby alerted them to the incident.

The circumstances that led to the deceased falling into the well were still unclear as of the time of filing this report.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Fire Reforms and Chairman, Fire Services, Moroof Akinwande, said his men were alerted by a running caller and Mr Ajayi Olayemi.

“Fire personnel led by CFM Oladejo promptly deployed to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that a man of about 27 years old, named Alagbe Gbemisoye, had fallen into a deep well. His body was recovered and handed over to the DPO, Owode Police Station,” he said.

Akinwande urged the public to always observe safety precautions in their daily activities and emphasised the importance of having fire extinguishers in their homes to prevent fire incidents.

News

Bauchi Records 75 Homicide Cases, 28 Kidnapping Cases, Others – Official

Published

3 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi state Ministry of Justice says it recorded nothing less than 75 homicide cases, 28 kidnapping cases and 86 cases of rape in the 2024-2025 legal year.

Barr. Hassan Usman (SAN), the Bauchi state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, stated this in Bauchi on Tuesday during the commencement of the 2025-2026 legal year ceremony.

“In criminal cases from January to date, we received a total of 91 robbery cases, as against last year which was 83 and we received 75 homicide cases.

“We were served with motions for bails and other motions totalling about 256 and we received about 86 rape cases and 28 kidnapping cases.

“In total, we received a total number of 592 criminal cases and out of this number, 97 have been disposed of, 15 were discharged through legal advice, 454 are pending,” said the Commissioner.

According to him, given the high volume of cases recorded, the Ministry developed strategies to fast-track prosecutions in line with the administration of criminal justice law that emphasised speedy trials by setting timelines of filing charges in court and proceeding.

While explaining that Gov. Bala Mohammed approved the release of N7.8 million for the purchase of law and other practice books for their library, Usman added that Mohammed also approved the release of monthly funds to settle all outstanding judgement debts owed by the state government.

He appreciated the governor for his benevolence, unwavering commitment and exceptional support for the Ministry of Justice in the state.

Earlier speaking, Justice Rabi Umar, the State’s Chief Judge, lamented the recurrent practice of arraigning suspects in court without proper preliminary investigations.

She added that in many cases, efforts to gather evidence were only initiated after the trial had begun.

“This backward approach to criminal prosecution significantly delays the process and undermines the delivery of justice.

“It is unacceptable that in 2025, we continue to see such practices, which contributed to the overwhelming backlog of cases in our courts and ultimately eroded public confidence in the Justice System.

“To resolve this and other identified lapses, a Committee was set up to review the Bauchi state Administration of Criminal Justice Law and come up with a Draft Law that will stand the test of time,” she said.

She however, affirmed that any lawyer that didn’t adhere to the prescribed dress code for legal practitioners in the state would not be permitted to appear in court, adding that such a disregard for professional decorum undermined the prestige and global respect that the legal profession commands.

In his speech, governor Mohammed said that the three arms of government in the state had been working harmoniously and in synergy without compromising their constitutional autonomy.

Represented by his deputy, Alh. Auwal Jatau, Mohammed said that he has been giving the two other arms of government the necessary support and cooperation to ensure that they all operated optimally without any hindrance.

News

HIV: 29,874 Bauchi Residents Under Treatment, 650 Infants Recover From Infection – Commissioner

Published

3 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi State Government has said that it is currently treating a total of 29,874 people living with HIV with Antiretroviral treatment across the state.

Dr. Sani Mohammed Danbam, the Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this while speaking at a press conference jointly held with partners to commemorate the 2025 World Aids Day.

According to him, HIV affects the most vulnerable in society: the poor, the uneducated, the marginalized, women, and children.

He said AIDS remains incurable, but no longer has to be a death sentence.

Speaking on the HIV situation in the State, Danbam said, “as of today, a total of 29,874 people living with HIV are receiving (Antiretroviral Therapy) ART and the State has scaled up to 863 HTS/PMTCT facilities, where the general population and pregnant women receive free HIV services.

“This year, we have successfully placed 2,246 newly diagnosed HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral treatment, and over 650 HIV-exposed infants have achieved 100% early infant diagnosis and remain free from HIV infection.”

This year’s theme for World Aids Day: ‘Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response’, Danbam said is to reflect the challenges caused by recent funding cuts and other setbacks, and “it reminds us of the need to build a stronger, more resilient and rights-focused approach as we work toward ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

Also, the Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Diene Keita, noted that in spite of advancements in medical technologies and public policies, progress made over decades was increasingly jeopardised, with prevention gains eroding as essential services struggled to reach people at elevated risk.

Represented by Deborah Tabara, Gender/Reproductive Health Analyst & State Programme Officer, UNFPA Bauchi, stressed that severe cuts in international aid were destabilising HIV prevention efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions relied on donor-supported programmes to access accurate information, prevention tools and essential community-based support.

According to Keita, almost 2.5 million people have lost access to lifesaving Pre-exposure Prophylaxis due to shrinking resources, with countries recording half of last year’s new HIV infections experiencing the harshest consequences from dwindling funding.

Tackling gender inequality, violence and stigma in healthcare systems and societies more broadly will be instrumental in reducing factors that put people at risk of HIV. Integrating HIV services into routine sexual and reproductive healthcare, including family planning and maternal health, would make them more readily available to many women and girls.

“At this crossroads in the AIDS response, UNFPA continues to support countries in sustaining and improving HIV prevention, particularly for adolescent girls, young women and key populations, along with providing treatment and related services.

“The combined efforts of governments, international organisations, activists and communities have led to remarkable progress on HIV, saving nearly 27 million lives to date. Now, we need to come together and finish what we know works and what we know is possible – an AIDS-free future for all.”