Chidinma Ojukwu, a former student of the University of Lagos, told a Lagos High Court on Tuesday that the statements she made during her police interrogation were false and made under pressure from the officers in charge. Ojukwu is on trial for the murder of Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, along with co-defendants Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu. They also face charges of theft and forgery. The defendants were first arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge filed by the Lagos State Government.
During the court session presided over by Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Ojukwu testified in her own defence. She claimed that the investigating police officer, Mr. Bamidele, and his team created an atmosphere of fear that made her stick to a version of events they allegedly dictated to her. She said she repeated this version to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police as instructed.
Led in evidence by her lawyer, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Ojukwu explained that after her arrest on June 23, 2021, the officer took her phone and forced her to unlock it. He went through her contacts, identified her sister’s name, and asked her to confirm it. She said he also asked about a laptop she sold and insisted she provide the name and address of the phone vendor who bought it.
Ojukwu said Bamidele questioned her about cannabis and demanded to know who supplied it. When she mentioned the name Quadri, the officer asked for his phone number and wrote it down. She was also questioned about the withdrawal of ₦5.38 million from Ataga’s account. Ojukwu told the court she denied knowledge of the money or the ATM card used.
She further alleged that Bamidele mistreated her during the interrogation. She claimed he slapped her after she requested to have a lawyer present before writing a statement. According to her, her hands were cuffed to a chair, and the officer read a statement to her several times until she memorized it. The next day, she was taken to the Commissioner’s office and forced to repeat the same version of events.
Ojukwu also told the court she was paraded before the media and ordered to stick to the prepared script. Later, she was taken to another office and made to write a new statement under pressure. The judge adjourned the case until May 7 for further proceedings.
