(Crime): The Trial of Chidinma Ojukwu over her alleged Murder of Usifo Ataga

 

The much-awaited trial of Miss Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Mr. Usifo Ataga continued at the Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square yesterday, November 8, 2022. During the proceedings, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Olusegun Bamidele, informed the court that Chidinma was having a sexual relationship with her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu. Which according to the police is contrary to what Onoh Ojukwu told them.

DSP Bamidele who is serving with the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti Yaba, made this disclosure during a cross examination by Chidinma’s lawyer, Mr Onwuka Egwu. 

Miss Chidinma Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate, is standing trial alongside Adedapo Quadri who is alleged to have conspired with her to murder Ataga, her lover, on June 15, 2021. She was allegedly accused of stabbing him several times with a knife on the neck and chest in a hotel room.

Another accomplice, her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, is charged with receiving a stolen iPhone 7 belonging to the late Ataga. At the last sitting of the court, DSP Bamidele who is the ninth prosecution witness had told the court how Chidinma transferred the sum of N5m, on June 15, 2021, from Usifo Ataga’s account to another account. He had also told the court how the handwritten statement of Chidinma was taken. And narrated how the second and third defendants were arrested.

However, when the prosecution sought to admit the written statements of the defendants, Chidinma’s counsel, Lawyer Egwu, objected. He argued that the statements were obtained by oppression, inducement, intimidation and under duress. And therefore, plea to the court to conduct a “trial within trial” to determine its voluntariness.

The court then agreed with Chidinma’s lawyer for the “trial within trial”. At the resumption of the court, DSP Bamidele who was led in evidence in the trial within trial vividly narrated how Chidinma was arrested and how she was interrogated. He also told the court that the first time she was arrested, he was not a part of the arresting team.

Quoting him, “That night on June 23, 2021, the first team that visited came back with three people. The first defendant is Chidinma Ojukwu, her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu and an under-aged girl. That were the people I saw. I was in the second team that visited the address.”

DSP Bamidele further confirmed that Chidinma was rearrested on July 25, 2021 and kept in detention till August 19, 2021. And Mr Ojukwu was not kept in the cell, he was kept in a protective room and he received and escorted visitors at his will.

According to him, during the period of Ojukwu's stay with them, they stumbled on intelligence that there was a sexual relationship between Chidinma and her foster father, Ojukwu. And that gave them the impetus that Mr. Ojukwu was not sincere in his statements with them as he was aware of the offence for which Chidinma is standing trial.

The police also established that the mother of Chidinma never approved the custody of her daughter to Ojukwu. And it was on that basis that they charged him to court alongside the three defendants at the Magistrate Court so that the court can decide if he can get bail. 

After some few deliberations, the court was adjourned till November 10, 2022 for the continuation of the “trial within trial”.

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