Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level student at the University of Lagos, has told a Lagos State High Court that fear kept her from reporting the death of Super TV CEO, Michael Usifo Ataga.

Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at Tafawa Balewa Square, Chidinma said she was scared after the incident and feared being wrongly accused.

“I was scared,” she explained, adding that she recalled reading stories of people who reported crimes but ended up being suspects themselves.

She recounted that after discovering something was wrong, she considered calling the security guard again but ended the call out of fear.

Detailing her actions on June 16, 2021, Chidinma said she noticed that Ataga had read her messages on WhatsApp, but when she tried calling him, her calls were repeatedly declined, leaving her confused.

Seeking information, she approached a man known as Abu, who operated the water pump and generator at the shortlet apartment. Abu initially told her he had seen Ataga leave the previous day. However, the gateman later informed her that Ataga’s car was still parked on the premises.

Worried, she sent a WhatsApp message to Ataga, pleading, “Please Michael, forgive me. I didn’t mean to leave you in that state. I was very scared.” After sending the message, she realized she had been blocked.

Chidinma told the court that on June 19, 2021, due to network issues, she sent Ataga an SMS instead. She also recalled giving her iPhone 7 Plus to her sister, Chioma, on June 22 after Chioma misplaced her phone.

She narrated that her arrest came on June 23, when several policemen stormed their home. She alleged that during her arrest, after denying possession of Ataga’s belongings, she was slapped by a policeman. Despite her father’s intervention, they were both taken to the police station.

At Panti, Chidinma said she was handcuffed and pressured to write a statement without legal counsel. “I insisted on having a lawyer, but Officer Bamidele told me no lawyer was coming,” she said, adding that she was threatened with her family’s detention if she refused to cooperate.

Under pressure, she wrote a statement which the officer reportedly tore up, describing it as “nonsense.”

The defendant further stated that investigators showed her images of Ataga’s body and a rope, accusing her of tying him up, which she denied, insisting he was too large for her to overpower.

She added that the police also presented her bank documents and University of Lagos student ID card during interrogation.

Justice Adesanya adjourned the trial until today for further proceedings.