CHIDINMA OJUKWU DISCLAIMS POLICE STATEMENTS, ALLEGES DURESS DURING INTERROGATION
By Opeyemi Olugbemi
Chidinma Ojukwu, a former University of Lagos student accused of murdering Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, told a Lagos High Court on Tuesday that the statements she made during police interrogation were false and given under duress.
Ojukwu, who is standing trial alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, testified before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square. The trio face a nine-count charge including murder, theft, and forgery, filed by the Lagos State Government on October 12, 2021.
Led in evidence by her counsel, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Ojukwu said the police, particularly the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Mr. Bamidele, pressured her into sticking to a dictated narrative. She claimed fear and intimidation influenced her statements.
“I narrated what the IPO asked me to say to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police,” she testified.
According to her, after her arrest on June 23, 2021, her phone was seized and accessed by Bamidele, who retrieved contacts and inquired about her laptop and alleged sale at Computer Village.
She recounted how the IPO questioned her about cannabis and money withdrawals allegedly made with Ataga’s ATM card, totaling N5.38 million, which she denied knowledge of.
Ojukwu further alleged she was slapped when she requested legal representation and was handcuffed to a chair as Bamidele repeatedly read a pre-written statement to her. She claimed she was later taken to the police commissioner’s office and compelled to repeat the same statement.
She also told the court she was paraded before journalists and instructed not to deviate from the police’s version of events.
The case was adjourned until May 7 for continuation of trial.
