During the alleged murder trial of Chidinma Ojukwu, Dr Richard Somiari, a forensic expert, disclosed on Tuesday that the DNA blood found on Chidinma’s red dress was a match to the victim, Michael Ataga, the late Super TV CEO.
Somiari, who serves as the director and consultant for the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, presented this evidence at the Lagos State High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square.
Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, is currently on trial for the murder of Ataga along with her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and Adedapo Quadri.
At the recent trial session, the 11th prosecution witness, Dr. Somiari, informed the court that his office received 21 different items on separate days from their DNA centre employees.
Led in evidence by the Lagos State Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs Adenike Oluwafemi, Dr. Somiari shared that he had 15 years of experience in forensic work and had conducted over 500 forensic tests.
The items received for evidence included a stained red dress, an army green T-Shirt, and a DNA sample from Chidinma Ojukwu, as per Dr. Somiari’s testimony.
Other items, such as urine, blood, gastric content, and bile, were preserved for toxicology analysis, as Dr. Somiari explained.
The objective was to establish a connection, through evidence, between the suspect and the crime scene, as well as the victim.
Dr. Somiari confirmed that the DNA found on the red dress matched Ataga’s but did not align with Chidinma’s or the other suspects, Babalola Disu and Oluwatomi Dada.
Upon cross-examination by the first defendant’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, Dr. Somiari detailed how toxicology report results were distributed to various authorities.
Regarding forensic reports, Dr. Somiari clarified that not all reports underwent the same process.
When asked about questioning Dr. Andrea Nuhu’s report from the USA, Dr. Somiari emphasized his specialization in forensics, not toxicology.
At the request of Egwu, the court allowed the playing of a video from the crime scene for examination.
During the video playback, questions were raised about whether blood samples from various objects were tested, which Dr. Somiari confirmed they were not.
He clarified that the markers in his report were not related to the video’s content.
Earlier, Dr. Somiari mentioned that some samples were stored but remained untested.
Further cross-examination by Mr. Babatunde Busari, the second defendant’s counsel, inquired about DNA samples from Quadri, to which Dr. Somiari responded that none were taken.
The third defendant’s counsel, Ms C. G. Ugochikwu, had no questions for the witness.
Following Dr. Somiari’s testimony, Justice Adesanya adjourned the trial until May 30 for continuation.
Ojukwu and the co-accused were arraigned by the Lagos State Government on October 12, 2021.
Ojukwu and Quadri face charges ranging from conspiracy to murder, while Egbuchu is accused of stealing an iPhone 7 belonging to Ataga.