Usifo Ataga, Super TV Boss, Buried; Tears Flow Freely; Wife, Inconsolable

By Akinwale Kasali

Tears rolled down the cheeks of his adorable wife, Brenda, as he watched the remains of her late husband, Usifo Ataga, lowered to the grave at Ebony Vaults Cemetery, Ikoyi, Lagos.

She couldn’t control her emotions when she performed the dust to dust rites. When the pall bearers lowered the coffin to Mother Earth  she wept uncontrollably. She was inconsolable.

The remains of the Super TV Boss were buried at about 12.30 pm in a low-key ceremony attended by his family members, and friends.

The late Ataga was murdered in a short-let  apartment on Adebowale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase I where he had checked in with his girlfriend, 21-year-old Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos.

Chidinma admitted to have stabbed the late Ataga about three times on the  neck with a kitchen knife, leading to his death when paraded by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, at the  Lagos State Police Command on June 24, 2021.

In an unprecedented about-turn, Chidinma later changed her first confession,  saying she was not present when he was killed, as she went out to buy food and  drugs. She said she came back to meet his bloodied body on the floor. Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu dismissed her second story as that of an active criminal. However, the CP later disclosed that more arrests have been made in connection with Ataga’s heinous murder.

The disclosure confirms the long held opinion in not a few quarters that Chidinma had accomplices with whom she murdered Ataga.

At the funeral service held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Lagos, the officiating priest, Very Rev. Fr. Julius Olaitan, described the deceased as a focused man who achieved many things.

He noted Ataga was a man of many parts that meant many things to different people.

“He was a man with enemies, his manner of death is a testimony to that. It is a duty for those in authorities to do the right thing by finding those who brutally murdered him.

“Who can imagine what Usifo went through in the hands of those who tortured him? We should be mindful of what we say on social media.

“Please spare the family of the good name. Our common humanity demands that from us,” he pleaded.

“Death is a terrifying mystery. We’ve not lost him but we’ve gained a soul in heaven. Usifo is now in a place where he can be with reward of his earthly sojourn,” the cleric added.

Mother of the deceased, Sylvia Ataga, who was present at the Service of Song held for her late Son yesterday, said that his death was undeserved, imploring the Police to get to the root of the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.

On her part, Brenda, Ataga’s widow, said the news of her husband’s demise was heartbreaking.

“Finding out of your demise was the worst news imaginable. My mind had raced through all the possibilities of where you were and what could have happened but death, death wasn’t an option,” she said.

“The girls and I were looking forward to seeing you, to celebrate your milestone.

“I had imagined how surprised you would be when you walked in to see a place set up for you. I had imagined the infectious smile.”

Ataga’s  eldest brother, Isi Ataga, thanked the Church and other sympathisers for standing by the bereaved family through the difficult moment, hoping that justice is served.

The late Ataga is survived by his wife, Brenda, their two daughters — Eboselulu and Emoata,  three siblings, parents with other extended family members.