A LAGOS State High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) has heard how the police discovered the corpse of the late Super TV Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Usifo Ataga.
An Investigative Police Officer (IPO), Inspector Ibrahim Isaka, said Ataga’s corpse was found face up in a pool of his blood.
Isiaka, the sixth prosecution witness, testified in the trial of Chidinma Ojukwu for the alleged murder of Ataga.
Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is facing trial for the offence alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri.
Led in evidence by Lagos State Deputy Director of Public Prosecution (DDPP) Mrs A. O. Oluwafemi, the witness said the police consequently called the emergency Unit at Yaba General Hospital and evacuated Ataga’s corpse.
Isiaka, who said he had worked as police personnel for 28 years, told the court that on June 16, 2021, a case of murder was reported at his place of work, Maroko Police Station, Lekki, while he was on duty.
He said: “If any case is reported at night it will be referred to me for investigation.
“On the 16th of June 2021, at about 23:30 hours, one Nkechi came to the station and reported that her security guard, one Abu said that some people lodged in their facility at No 19, Adewale Oshin Street and the security said they wanted to go and clean where they lodged.”
The witness said Mogbo also told the police that a cleaner in the facility went to clean the apartment but there was no response from the people who lodged there.
He said Abu and the cleaner forcibly opened the door and discovered Ataga in a pool of blood.
The witness said the police, including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) went to the crime scene.
“The DPO immediately called the Emergency Unit at Yaba General Hospital, the hospital came and evacuated the corpse.
“The following morning, June 17, the commissioner of police advised that the case be transferred to the Homicide Section, Panti,” Isiaka said.
He added that a police team from Panti asked him to follow the team to the crime scene and he did.
Isiaka said the police found some clothes and a travel bag in the apartment and collected the items for investigation, adding that he wrote a statement and handed the case file to the police at Panti.
The prosecution sought to tender the witness’s statement as evidence but Quadri’s counsel, Mr Babatunde Busari, objected.
Busari said the statement was extrajudicial (a statement made outside the court) and, therefore, not admissible.
He cited some Supreme Court and Appeal Court decisions to support his objection.
Other defence counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu for Ojukwu, and Mr O. A. Ogunsanya for Egbuchu, did not object to tendering of the statement.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya, however, overruled the objection, saying that it failed.
After the ruling, counsel to Ojukwu, cross-examined the witness during which he testified that the case was assigned to him by a charge room officer.
He added that he carried out his investigations subject to instructions given to him by the DPO and DCO.
After the cross-examination, Justice Adesanya adjourned till February 21 for continuation of trial.