Mr Ifeoluwa Oluwo, a witness who deals in the sale and purchase of phones, laptop and accessories, has narrated to the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square annex in Igbosere how he bought a MacBook Pro laptop from Ms. Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of Super TV boss, Usifo Ataga.
The businessman who said he sells phones, laptops, and accessories at Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, and has been in the business for five years noted that he bought the laptop for N495,000 on June 18, 2021, two days after Ataga’s body was found.
Oluwo, the third prosecution witness, at the resumed hearing on Thursday was led in evidence by the Lagos State prosecuting counsel, Mr Yusuf Sule.
According to him, after seeing Chidinma on social media after the sale of the laptop, he immediately ensured that all her documents were kept handy.
He confirmed Chidinma had purchased a phone on April 30 and also sold a laptop on June 18, at the same office.
“On June 18, Chidinma sold me a MacBook Pro laptop for N495,000 after negotiations and market value comparison. In order to make a sale, you have to submit some documents and fill a form with your government identification card, driving license, international passport, voters’ card, and National Identification Number.
“You also have to fill a form which includes email, phone number, house address, and full name. It will also contain the full value of the item for that day, the name of the item, and the serial number of the item.
“This is what we do to contact a customer if there are any issues.
“I asked Chidinma to unlock the laptop and she did. So, I conducted my internal observation which included speed performance, the circle count of the battery, and general functionality.
“After that, I proceeded to ask questions, ‘Do you have a receipt for this laptop?’
“She stated that it was a gift from her boyfriend and that she had two laptops and needed to sell one to pay some bills.
“I conducted a check on a website for my market evaluation. I confirmed the value of the laptop. It was $1,000 to $1,200. The exchange rate of dollars at that time was N400 to N450 and she wanted to sell for N600,000. We were able to negotiate for N495,000, which I initiated from my UBA bank account to her Sterling bank account.”
When asked if Chidinma had produced the receipt of the laptop, Oluwo stated that she was not able to provide the receipt as she had insisted that it was a gift from her boyfriend.
“After the sale of the laptop, we saw her face on social media regarding a murder case. A few days later, the police from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, invited my manager, Olutayo Abayomi.
“When I got to the police station, I discovered that it was in connection to the laptop we bought from Chidinma on June 18.
“We both made a statement detailing how we came about the laptop and how we made the purchase.
“We gave the police the documents of the former owner, which included a copy of her voters’ card, a copy of our form, and all receipts which already have her information regarding the laptop.
“There is no way we can detect that a phone or laptop was a stolen one,” Oluwo said.
During the brief cross examination, the counsel to the undergraduate, Onwuka Egwu, asked Mr Oluwo if he was shown any document at Panti, as to the contrary of what Chidinma told him regarding the ownership of the MacBook, and he said no.
The witness wanted to explain further saying he forgot to add information earlier, but the lawyer said it wasn’t necessary.
The two other defense counsel, Babatunde Busari and Olajide Odusanya declined cross examination, saying the evidence didn’t indict their clients.
Justice Adesanya adjourned the case till November 29, for the continuation of trial.
Chidinma, a 21-year-old Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, is standing trial for the murder of the CEO of online video streaming platform, Super TV, Usifo Ataga, whose body was discovered at a short let flat in Lekki phase 1 where he and the accused had lodged into three days earlier.
She was arrested by the police on June 23, 2021. She was said to have been in a romantic relationship with 50-year-old Usifo for about four months before the incident.
Usifo was found dead with multiple stabs on June 16 at a short let apartment on Adebowale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase I where he had checked in with Chidinma.
The undergraduate and two others, Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu, are undergoing trial before Justice Yetunde Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos State.
Chidinma Ojukwu and one Adedapo Quadri are standing trial for the murder.
Chidinma alone is accused of stealing the deceased’s two iPhones, his MacBook and two ATM cards from which N380,000 was allegedly withdrawn.
While a third person, Chioma Egbuchu is accused of receiving the late Mr Ataga’s stolen phone.
