The Lagos State High Court, sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos Island, on Thursday, directed the co-defendants of Chidinma Ojukwu to open their defense after dismissing the no-case submission filed by the second and third defendants.
The second and third defendants, Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu (Chidinma Ojukwu’s sister), had earlier sought to have the charges against them dismissed, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a case strong enough to warrant their defense.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya, the trial judge, rejected their submissions and ordered the defendants to proceed with their defense. The case was adjourned to February 20, 2025, for the continuation of the trial.
Chidinma Ojukwu, the first defendant, is charged with the murder of Super TV CEO Michael Usifo Ataga, alongside Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu. Ojukwu and Quadri face charges related to conspiracy, murder, and stabbing, while Egbuchu is charged with stealing an iPhone 7 belonging to the deceased.
The prosecution alleges that Ojukwu and Quadri conspired to murder Ataga on June 15, 2021, at No. 19, Adewale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, by stabbing him multiple times in the neck and chest.
During the resumed hearing on Thursday, the second and third defendants, through their counsel—Babatunde Busari for the second defendant and M.I. Otuaka for the third—argued that the prosecution had failed to provide any substantial evidence to support the charges against them. They requested the court to dismiss the charges.
In response, the prosecution counsel, Yusuf Sule, objected to their submissions, urging the court to reject the no-case application and proceed with the trial. He stated that material evidence had been presented linking Quadri to the charges, and he called for the second defendant to open his defense. Regarding the third defendant, Sule pointed out the evidence of the stolen iPhone and requested the court to dismiss her application and proceed with her defense.
After hearing all arguments, Justice Adesanya dismissed the no-case submissions and ordered both defendants to open their defense. The case was adjourned to February 20, 2025, for the continuation of the trial, with the second defendant scheduled to begin his defense.
