During the murder trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, Dr. Richard Somiari, a forensic specialist, stated on Tuesday that the DNA blood sample discovered on Chidinma’s red dress matched that of the deceased CEO of Super TV, Michael Ataga.
Dr. Somiari, who is the director and consultant at the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, presented this information at the Lagos State High Court in Tafawa Balewa Square.
Wakadaily learnt that, Chidinma Ojukwu, a third-year Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, is facing charges for Ataga’s murder alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and Adedapo Quadri.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Dr. Somiari, the 11th prosecution witness, informed the court that his office received a total of 21 different items over several days from their DNA centre staff.
He was led in providing evidence by Mrs. Adenike Oluwafemi, the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions for Lagos State. Dr. Somiari mentioned that he had been working in the field of forensics for 15 years and had conducted over 500 forensic tests.
The items submitted as evidence included a stained red dress, an army green T-shirt, and a DNA sample from Chidinma Ojukwu. Other items like urine, blood, gastric content, and bile were also collected for toxicology reports.
The objective was to establish a connection between the suspect and the crime scene and victim, forming what he described as an “evidence triangle.”
Dr. Somiari explained that the DNA found on the red dress matched that of the victim, Ataga, but did not match that of Chidinma or the other suspects, Babalola Disu and Oluwatomi Dada.
During questioning by Mr. Onwuka Egwu, the counsel for the first defendant, Dr. Somiari detailed how the toxicology report results were shared with various authorities such as the Attorney General of Lagos, the Commissioner of Police, and the Director of Public Prosecutions. He also noted that not all forensic reports underwent the same procedure.
When asked about Dr. Andrea Nuhu’s report from the United States, the witness did not provide a response. “I have already said that I am not a toxicologist. It is a toxicologist that can do such.”
However, Egwu requested the playback of the video from the crime scene, which the court agreed to. While the video was being shown, he questioned the witness regarding the blood samples found on various items such as the cotton, wall, duvet, white polo shirt worn by the victim, chair, and rug, and asked whether they had been tested.
The witness confirmed that the samples had not been analyzed. He clarified that the markers mentioned in his report were unrelated to the video footage. Somiari previously informed the court that some samples were in storage but had not been examined.
During cross-examination, the second defendant’s counsel, Babatunde Busari, inquired about DNA samples from Quadri, to which the witness replied no, and also asked about the toxicology analysis, which the witness was not involved in. The third defendant’s counsel, Ms. C. G. Ugochikwu, did not have any questions for the witness. After hearing the testimony, Justice Adesanya adjourned the trial until May 30.
Ojukwu and the other defendants were charged by the Lagos State Government on October 12, 2021. Ojukwu and Quadri face multiple counts related to conspiracy, murder, and stabbing, while Egbuchu is charged with stealing an iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga.
