The family of Usifo Ataga, the late Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, has expressed concern that some powerful people may be out to compromise the outcome of investigations into the circumstances that led to his death.
They alleged that some people might be working surreptitiously to extricate the main suspect in the case, Miss Chidinma Ojukwu, from complicity in the murder trial.
Ojukwu and one Adedapo Quadri are currently standing trial for the gruesome murder of Ataga in Lagos, on June 15, 2021.
Also arraigned is Ojukwu’s cousin, Chioma Egbuchu, who was accused of stealing Ataga’s iPhone 7 after the murder.
Speaking after the last hearing date, Ms J. Ugegbe, holding brief on behalf of the Ataga family, said they want relevant authorities to ensure justice prevailed for their son and brother.
“For the family, it is their firm belief that justice can only be attained through meticulous and diligent prosecution of the case. One of the means for attaining that is through forensic approach, and this is the reason the family is calling for caution by all,” she said.
Also, a source familiar with the court proceedings said the general feeling among family and friends was that the trial could be compromised in respect of the autopsy, forensic report, and investigation.
The source claimed that the family’s suspicion became stronger following the testimony of a former Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. John Obafunwa.
The family members were said to have alluded to the testimony at a sitting of a state High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square, that the sample for a post-mortem examination was possibly manipulated, having been delayed for over a year.
According to the source, the family felt that investigators were tardy, and for a long time, the Lagos State government kept promising it would do all that was necessary to ensure a proper investigation, including paying for a forensic analysis outside the country.
“Apparently, and to the dismay of the family, this did not happen as the government kept procrastinating, and the case only moved ahead after the family paid for the forensics to be done overseas,” the source added.
