CRIME
Alleged CEO Super TV Murder: I Never Met Defendant or Victim Before – Witness
The owner of the apartment where Mr Usifo Ataga, Super TV Chief Executive Officer, was allegedly murdered, on Monday said that she neither met Ataga nor his alleged murderers before the incident.
Nkechi Mogbo testified before a Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
She was being cross-examined as the first prosecution witness in the trial of an undergraduate, Chidinma Ojukwu (first defendant), and two others for Ataga’s murder.
Ojukwu is facing trial along with her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.
Mogbo was cross-examined by Ojukwu’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu.
Newsmen report that on Nov. 11, the witness told the court that she operated a fully-furnished self-service apartment like a normal house with cable television subscription, a 24-hour power supply and a well-equipped kitchen.
Mogbo also narrated to the court how Ojukwu booked and lodged in the apartment with `a friend’, including how the body of Ataga was discovered at the apartment.
At the resumed trial on Monday, still said that Ojukwu informed her while booking for the apartment, adding that she told her that she would be lodging with a friend.
Mogbo said she could not collect Ojukwu’s International Passport for identification before lodging her because the defendant told her that her passport was with the Nigeria Immigration Service for purposes of COVID-19 isolation.
The witness said she did not ask for vaccination certificate because, “I didn’t think it was in my capacity to request for it’’.
“I was not previleged to know if she was a Nigerian due to the name (Jewel) and the foreign phone number she used while booking for the apartment,” Mogbo added.
The witness also said that when the payment for the apartment was made with Ataga’s name, she did not raise an eyebrow because payment could be made by a friend or family member.
She said that Ojukwu sent the receipt of the payment through WhatsApp.
“I did not know who the initiator of the payment was; the defendant sent to me the proof of payment less than a minute after the payment was made; so, there was nothing to arouse any suspicion.
“If I did, I would have called the person for further clarification.
“I had no idea who the lady (defendant) was. I never met her before. I had no idea the reason she lodged at the apartment except what I was told.
“I was only running a business just like any other hardworking Nigerian,” the witness said.
The witness also testified that the guest at the apartment adjacent to where the alleged murder occurred, had indicated a week earlier of his intention to leave the premises on June 17.
Mogbo denied being the one that informed the guest to leave the premises after the incident occurred.
The witness said that it was when the police asked her to give information about the building that she mentioned about the other guests at the apartment.
She confirmed that it was at a deputy commissioner of police’s office that she identified the defendant through a picture on her phone.
Mogbo also said it was the True Caller App on her phone that brought out the name (Chidinma Onah) which the defendant used in registering the private number she had called her (Mogbo) with earlier.
She also said that the defendant did not inform her that she would vacate the premises for her friend when she asked and paid for additional two days.
“When the body was found, my security guard called the defendant, she only said that she went for a meeting and would be back,” Mogbo said.
After the cross-examination, prosecution counsel, Mrs Adeyinka Adeyemi who is the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, told the court that she had no re-examination.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the case until Nov.16 for continuation of trial.
The three defendants were arraigned on Oct. 12 on a nine-count charge preferred 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 of stealing iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga.
The first and second defendants were alleged to have conspired and murdered Ataga on June 15, 2021, by stabbing him severally with a knife on the neck and chest.
The alleged murder took place at No. 19, Adewale Oshin St., Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
The duo were also accused of committing forgery by procuring and making bank account statements purported to have been made by the deceased. (NAN)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in the area of Kuta, Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the suspect was nabbed three weeks after escaping arrest at his home.
He said that NDLEA operatives had on Nov.
20 raided his house at Anguwan Makera, Kuta, where they recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.“Though he escaped arrest during the raid and has since been in hiding, the manhunt for him eventually paid off on Thursday, Dec.
11.“This was when NDLEA officers acting on processed intelligence traced and arrested him at one of his drug joints in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta.
“Intelligence reports had indicated that the suspect is a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro local government area,” he said.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Abia on Thursday, Dec. 11 raided a clandestine codeine syrup-manufacturing factory at Amapu Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, in Osisioma LGA of the state.
Babafemi said that during the operation, operatives recovered a total of 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,152.2kg.
Also, in Enugu state, operatives on Thursday, Dec. 11 arrested another suspect along Onitsha – Enugu Ezike road with 7.2kg skunk.
Babafemi said that another suspect was nabbed along Enugu-Ezike -Ette road with 94.6kg of the same psychoactive substance.
“A raid carried out by NDLEA operatives at a notorious drug joint known as “Beere the California” at Ido in Oyo state on Thursday, Dec. 11 led to the seizure of 3.4kg skunk.
“Others are 1.6kg Colorado, a synthetic cannabis and 400grams of methamphetamine. The owner of the drug joint identified currently at large while a suspect was nabbed at the joint.
“Another operation at Idi Oro, Elekuro, Ibadan on Friday, Dec. 12 led to the arrest of Olusanya Abosede, 35, and the seizure of 238.4kg skunk,” he said.
In the same vein, two suspects were arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Gbaji checkpoint, Seme road Badagry, Lagos with 50,000 pills of tramadol 250mg.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested another two suspects with 73kg skunk at Iperu, adding that a suspect was nabbed with 25kg of the same substance at Oke Agbede, Imeko area of the state on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
“In Ondo state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Monday, Dec. 8 raided a compound in Ogbese, Akure North local government area, where they arrested a 55-year-old woman and her 29-year-old son.
“The NDLEA operatives also recovered 1,187 kilograms of skunk and its seeds from them,” he said.
Similarly, a suspect was arrested during a raid operation at Uroe community, Owan East LGA of Edo state, where 461kg skunk and its seeds were recovered on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Babafemi said in Gombe state, a suspect was arrested with 40,000 capsules of tramadol at Tunfure area, adding that two other suspects were nabbed at Ashaka Jalingo, with 56kg skunk on Monday, Dec. 8.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 907 pills of tramadol, tapentadol, cocodamol, amitriptyline and bromazepam were intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives at two major courier companies in Lagos.
Babafemi said that the drugs were concealed in containers of local black soap, and designer wears, in six different consignments going to the US, Canada and Sweden.
He said that the drugs were seized between Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Wed, Dec. 9 respectively.
Also, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday, Dec. 13 intercepted a consignment of 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23,579kg during a joint examination of a container with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
This, he said included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Community Senior Secondary School, Sheme, Katsina; Government College, Tudun Wada Dankade, Kano; and Methodist High School, Makurdi, Benue.
Babafemi said that the Enugu state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to HRM Igwe Ikechukwu Samuel Asadu, Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa has commended the officers and men of DOGI, Niger, Abia, Oyo, Enugu, Seme, Ogun, Ondo, Gombe, Apapa and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity.
Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
A mortuary attendant in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo has landed in police net after allegations of missing vital organs from a corpse kept at Akugbe Mortuary.
This incident triggered a violent reaction from relatives of the deceased.
The situation reportedly escalated when angry family members and friends accused a mortuary attendant of harvesting organs from the body.
Relatives of the deceased were said to have raised alarm when they arrived at the mortuary on Friday to collect the body for burial and allegedly discovered that some vital organs were missing.
An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, described the scene as chaotic, saying tempers flared after family members accused the attendant of engaging in ritual practices.
“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie said.
He said the relatives threatened to lynch the attendant and set the facility ablaze before police operatives intervened to restore calm.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, ASP Eno Ikoedem, Public Relations Officer of the police command in Edo, said the command received a distress call that a mob was on the verge of attacking a suspect at the mortuary.
“The Command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched, and the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, was immediately mobilised to rescue a mortuary attendant alleged to have harvested organs of a corpse,” Ikoedem said.
Ikoedem explained that the suspect was rescued from the crowd and subsequently to custody.
She added that he was currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), where investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the allegation.
Ikoedem assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted, urging residents to remain calm and allow due process to take its course.
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command attached to the New Haven Division and the Distress Response Squad (DRS), on 6th December 2025 at about 6 a.m., swiftly responded to a distress call and arrested one Orlu Chukwuemeka (male, 25).
Investigations revealed that the suspect and his accomplice, who is currently at large, disguised as commercial operators of an unregistered white mini bus and abducted their female passenger in a one-chance-styled operation at Fourth Dimension, along Chime Avenue, Enugu.
During the incident, the suspects stabbed the victim, pushed her out of the moving vehicle along the same Chime Avenue, and escaped, after robbing her of an Android phone and ATM card.
Police operatives immediately trailed and intercepted them within Independence Layout, Enugu, leading to the arrest of Orlu, while the other suspect fled.Ina press statement sent by the Police public relations officer Enugu State Command, Daniel Ndukwe stated that the victim was promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention, where she regained stability and was able to positively identify the arrested suspect as part of the criminal gang.
The suspect has since been arraigned in court and remanded in custody, while intensive efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing accomplice and ensure every person involved is brought to justice.
The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, appreciates the timely support from public-spirited citizens that aided the swift arrest. He reiterates the Command’s unwavering resolve to combating violent crimes across Enugu State this festive season and beyond, urging residents to continue providing credible and timely security information.
Tinubu Congratulates UNIJOS Graduands, Pledges Support for Education
ShareFrom Jude Dangwam, Jos President Bola Tinubu has congratulated graduands of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) at the institution’s 35th...
2027 Election: Igbo’s Community Promises Votes for Eno
ShareFrom Christopher Tom, Uyo Non-indigence in Akwa Ibom State especially the Igbo’s community has promised to give the highest number...
Zamfara Reaffirms Commitment to Address Gender-based Violence
ShareBy Ifeanyichukwu Nwannah, Gusau The Zamfara State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and other forms...
Nentawe, Alia, Suswam, Others Bag Chieftaincy Titles from Tiv Kingdom
ShareFrom Attah Ede, Makurdi The Tiv Kingdom has conferred honorific chieftaincy titles on prominent sons, daughters and friends of the...
World Human Rights Day: NGO Takes Medical Outreach to Okaka Correctional Center
ShareFrom Mike Tayese, Yenagoa The 8th edition of Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe Outreach has celebrated the 2025 World Human Rights Day...
Coup in Guinea-Bissau and the Dilemma of ECOWAS
ShareBy Hakeem Jamiu In his seminal work, Political Order in Changing Societies (1968), Professor Samuel P Huntington argues that political...
Chelsea End Winless Run with Comfortable Brighton Victory
ShareChelsea ended their four-game winless streak in the Women’s Super League with a comfortable 3-0 away victory against Brighton. A...
Liverpool ‘United as One’ after Salah Return – Van Dijk
ShareCaptain Virgil van Dijk said Liverpool “are absolutely united and go forward as one” after Mohamed Salah returned to the...
Mikaelian Beats Jack to Regain WBC Title
ShareNoel Mikaelian beat Badou Jack by a unanimous points decision in Los Angeles to regain the WBC cruiserweight title. Mikaelian...
Mobile Phone Association Pillar of Modern Commerce, Driving communication, Says Mamas
ShareFrom Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo The National President of Association of Mobile Phone and Allied Products Traders of Nigeria (AMPAT), Hon....