Brenda Ataga, widow of slain Super TV CEO, said she and her daughters were looking forward to spending some time with him when they learnt of his death.
Ataga was murdered a few days to his 50th birthday while his corpse was found in an apartment he checked into with Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level student of the University of Lagos.
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Brenda said although different thoughts raced through her mind when he went missing, the last thing she thought of was his death.
“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.”
“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. Now I’m yet to comprehend the stark reality that your life was cut short in your prime, at a renaissance of all you had toiled for. I’m lost for words,” she said.
The deceased’s mother, Sylvia Ataga, said her son did not deserve to die the way he did.
“God knows he did not deserve what those people did to him. My heart bleeds to him anytime I remember.”
“He was generous to a fault. It took death for me to know how loved he was. He has been robbed of the joy of seeing a project he spent seven years working on.
“He has been denied the joy of seeing his children grow up, go to the university, get married and make him a grandfather. These are the wishes of every parent.
“His love for his children cannot be quantified. No way! He would either hop on the next plane or send me funds to go and see the doctor. And monitor me for days. My pain is that I could not monitor him in his last days.”
During the funeral service, which held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Lagos, Rev. Fr. Julius Olaitan, the officiating priest, described the deceased as a focused man who achieved many things.
He said 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 said.
