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The defendant, Chidinma Ojukwu, an undergrad at the University of Lagos who is accused of killing Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, was not present for the trial on Tuesday, which prevented it from proceeding.
Nine charges of murder, theft, and forgery are being tried against Ojukwu, a 300-level Department of Mass Communication student, at a Lagos State High Court located in Tafawa Balewa Square.
Along with her sister Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri, she was arraigned.
Only Egbuchu, the third defendant, was present during the trial's Tuesday-resumed proceedings. The jail facility did not bring Ojukwu or Quadri to court.
The Nigeria Labour Congress's industrial action prevented prisoners from being hauled before a judge.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya said correctional facility officials had informed the court that the inmates would not be brought to court for security purposes until the strike was called off.
Also, the second defendant’s counsel, Mr. Babatunde Busari, however, said, Despite the effort given to this case by this court, the trial is still taking too long.
Additionally, he requested that the prosecution's attorney, Mrs. Adenike Oluwafemi, Director of Public Prosecutions, state the number of prosecution witnesses who have not yet testified.
With the exception of DSP Olusegun Bamidele, the ninth prosecution witness, who was still testifying under cross-examination, the DPP informed the court that "there are two more witnesses."
Judge Adesanya thus canceled the scheduled date for Wednesday in order to prevent any disruptions due to the NLC strike.
She postponed the case until December 5 and December 7, 2023, in order to allow the trial to continue.
At the most recent hearing in June, DSP Bamidele, the ninth prosecution witness, described how he had examined the late Ataga's body in the mortuary.
