By Yetunde Ayobami Ojo

 
Olusegun Bamidele, a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, yesterday, told a Lagos High court  his findings when he visited the crime scene.

In his testimony before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of a Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) the witness, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the bed was ruffled with blood stains on the pillow, floor and the duvet when he visited the crime scene.

He also said he was able to track the suspect through her phone. Bamidele,  an officer from intelligent and tactical unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Yaba Police Station, told the court that he tracked Ojukwu down to N0. 57, Akinwunmi St., Alagomeji, Yaba.

Led in evidence-in-chief by the Lagos State Director for Public Prosecutions, Mrs. A. O. Oluwafemi, the witness narrated how the case was transferred from Maroko Police Station to his own department at SCIID, Yaba.

Bamidele said the case file wash transferred and assigned to his team on June 17, 2021, with a suspect, one Nkechi Mogbo, the owner of the apartment where the incident occurred.

Bamidele further told the court that when he interacted with Mogbo, she informed him that on June 13, a phone call came from one Jewel, who requested for a room at her short service apartment.

He also said that the security guard at the apartment also told him how the body of the deceased was discovered at the apartment where the said Jewel lodged with the deceased.

Bamidele also said that the security guard at the apartment gave him a phone number, which the said Jewel had used in calling him while at the apartment.

The witness also told the court that the statements of the owner of the apartment and the security were all taken and he identified the statements, which were already in court as exhibits.
  
He also said that the pictures and videos in his phone were downloaded into a disc by an information technology expert in his office.
 
However, the prosecution counsel at that point, prayed for an adjournment to enable the prosecution bring the video for viewing and to tender it as evidence.
 
Earlier, an Access Bank account officer to the deceased, Mr. Toafeek Lawal, testified and tendered Naira account statements of the deceased, starting from April 1, 2021 to August 31, 2021. He said that there were, however, no transactions on the account from June 19 to August 31.
 
Lawal said, immediately the bank learnt of the death of late Usifo Ataga, the bank placed a Post No Debit (POD) on the account to stop any debit from being effected on the account. He said that monies that were transferred from the deceased’s account on June 16 and the transactions were done through USSD platform to the deceased’s other account.

Lawal, also said that on June 17, some monies were transferred to the deceased’s account but on June 18, some monies were transferred from the deceased’s account to a different account.

He said that the deceased operated two accounts with the bank, which were a Naira account and a Domiciliary account. When the witness was cross-examined by the first defendant counsel, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, he confirmed that in a USSD mode of transfer, “the password is exclusive to the owner of the account.”

The witness answered that the password was meant to be exclusive unless the owner decided otherwise. Justice Adesanya subsequently adjourned the case to May 10,2022 for continuation of trial.

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 at 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.