The trial of Chidinma Ojukwu and others over the death of Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga resumed on Thursday with Mr Ataga’s account officer at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Okike Obaji testifying.
Mr Obaji told a Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, that the bank learnt about Ataga’s death through social media on June 17, 2021, and placed a no-debit restriction on his account immediately.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, A. O. Oluwafemi, Obaji said that the news about Ataga’s death was everywhere on social media and so the bank acted to protect his assets.
He said that on June 16, 2021 there was a debit transaction of N50,000 between Ataga and Nkechi Mogbo via GTB. Mogbo owns the apartment where Ataga was found dead.
During cross-examination, the witness said that the only bank transaction made by Ojukwu was in June 2021 and the amount was N50,000.
Obaji said that the transactions were three in number and were made from Ataga’s account to Ojukwu’s between June 13 and 14, 2021.
The witness said this when asked by the defendant’s counsel, Onwuka Egwu, to mention how many transactions were in the name of Ojukwu between June 1 to June 14, 2021.
He said, “From the intervals you mentioned, the first transaction was on June 13 and it was N10,000, on June 14 there was a transaction of N25,000 and that same day (June 14), there was another transaction of N15,000, that was made.”
He also testified that on June 16, 2021, there were multiple transactions of N20,000 which were not debit transactions but credit.
Obaji said that from the remarks, the credit transactions were done through USSD bank codes.
Obaji also testified that there were two debit transactions of N101,200, made on June 16, 2021 to PayCom Digital Nigeria Ltd and Capricon Digital.
He said that the two debit transactions were made through automated teller machine (ATM) on the same day and the same amount.
Obaji told the court that the transactions that were made to Ojukwu were through ATM.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the case till May 9 for the continuation of trial.
