Ataga Murder: I Was Forced To Sign Prepared Police Statement – Chidinma
Category: Crime News
Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of the Chief Executive
Officer, Super TV, Usifo Ataga, on Thursday, told a Lagos State High Court
sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, that she was slapped and forced to
sign statements written by policemen in the state.
Chidinma, who
testified in her trial-within-trial as defence witness one, told Justice
Yetunde Adesanya that policemen including Assistant Superintendent of Police,
Olusegun Bamidele, and Olufunke Madeyinlo, told her to sign statements against
her will.
She said Bamidele told her to narrate the statement he
wrote to the state Commissioner of Police after tearing the statement she
wrote.
READ: Chidinma Ojukwu Was Sleeping With Foster Father – Police Witness
Chidinma is standing trial over the alleged murder of Ataga. She is also
charged with stealing and forgery alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and
one Adedapo Quadri.
Addressing the court on Thursday, Chidinma,
while being led in evidence in the trial-within-trial by her counsel, Onwunka
Egwu, told the court that on June 23, 2021, she was in her room at home when
her 10-year-old sister informed her that some men were asking after her.
The witness said, “Immediately, my sister called my Dad (her
foster father, Onoh Ojukwu), who came out and asked who the men were? They
said they were policemen from (SCID), Panti, and that they came to arrest me
and to search the house or that I should go in and bring the (Ataga’s)
phone.
READ: It's An Old Interview- Police Dismiss New Narration of Chidinma on Murder Saga
“I said I don’t know where the phone and car is and one of the policemen
slapped me. My dad said you cannot slap my daughter in my house and the
policemen tried to enter the room from the passage.”
Chidnma said
when the policemen were taking her away, she told her foster dad to call the
family lawyer, Egwu, adding that when they got to the State Criminal
Investigation Department, Panti, she was taken to the office of a policeman,
Razak Oseni, who, alongside other policemen, questioned her.
She
said, “We went back to my house and then returned to the DCP’s office and he
started questioning me. I told him I don’t know anything about the death of Mr
Ataga, and that was when they made the video that was played in court.
READ: No One Assisted Me In Killing Ataga - Chidinma Says In Court
“The DCP said I should make my statement then the IPO, Bamidele, took me
to the interrogating room with Mr Chris, and gave me a blank statement form
and asked me to write what happened.
“I started writing, then he
(Bamidele) took my left hand and handcuffed it to the chair. I wrote what I
said at the DCP’s office. While writing the statement, Bamidele read through
it and said it was not what happened.”
Chidinma said she told
Bamidele that she was writing what happened, adding that before she started
writing the statement, she informed him to help her confirm if her foster
father had called the family lawyer.
READ: Investigator Narrates How Chidinma Transferred N5m From Ataga’s Bank Account
She said, “He (Bamidele) said my (foster) dad cannot make a call as he was in
custody. That was when I started writing the statement.
When he
said the statement I wrote was not what happened, and I told him it was what
happened, I received two slaps from Mr Jemiyo.
“Jemiyo and Chris
sat at the back and Bamidele was facing me. He said you are going to write the
truth, tore the statement I wrote, and presented another blank statement form.
I told him I was writing the truth and you tore it.
READ: Man Explains How Chidinma Sold Late Ataga’s Laptop To Him
“He said if I did not comply, my family, my dad, 10-year-old sister and
relative will be charged in the murder case. He (Bamidele) brought out his
phone, played the video obtained from the scene of the apartment and showed me
pictures of Mr Ataga’s body.
“He said now you are going to write
and then I started writing. He said why I am slow and I received another slap
on my back. I told him that I was not feeling well and needed to rest. He
(Bamidele) said there was no time, he then collected the statement form from
me and he started writing. Chris then handcuffed my hands to the chair.”
Chidinma said Bamidele initially asked her questions but later
stopped, adding that after he was done writing, he read the statement to her
and she said what he wrote was not what happened.
READ: SuperTV CEO Murder: Lagos DPP Recommends Chidinma, 4 Others For Trial
She said, “He said this is what you are going to say or else my family
will be charged. He read the statement to me again and told me that I should
rehearse it. He said that is what I should tell the CP.
“Bamidele
and Chris returned in the morning and said I should sign the statement but as
I was reluctant in signing it, Chris said I should because nobody is coming
for me and that they will provide me with a good government lawyer.
“After signing the statement, I was brought out of the
interrogation room, given water to wash my face, and then we entered a vehicle
and drove to Ikeja. When we arrived at Bamidele took me to the CP and I said
what Bamidele wrote.”
READ: Super TV CEO Was Tied, Gagged and Stabbed Multiple Times- Family Reveals
She said after her interrogation at the CP’s office, she was taken down
stairs where she saw a lot of people (journalists) with cameras, adding that
she was not feeling well as at then.
Chidinma said, “After I was
taken to the press, then we drove back to Panti where Bamidele said we are
going to do a video recording, and he said I should say everything he had
written in the statement and they recorded the video which was played here in
court.
“I was returned to the cell; in the evening on the same
June 24, Oseni brought me out of the cell, took me to an office, where
Madeyinlo and another female officer Bola were. When Oseni left, I was given a
blank statement form and I was told to write another statement.
READ: How Chidinma Transferred N50K From Ataga’s Account After His Death – Witness
“Jemiyo also walked in and I said I had already written a statement. I
said I am tired and have not eaten. I was just sitting when Jemiyo came beside
me and hit my head on a wooden table. This was when officer Bola had left.
“Madeyinlo said I should start writing. I picked the pen, wrote
the date, my name, then she (Madeyinlo) started dictating to me and said that
I should write what she said. I started writing and at the end of writing the
statement, she asked me to sign.”
I just read this story.
ReplyDeleteThis Chidinma girl might be innocent o. If at the end of the day, she get acquitted by the court of law, those police officers should rot in jail
Who you think kill the man? They were the only two ppl in d room
DeleteThis latest report says otherwise sir
DeleteNow you de reason with me, after all this years. In every nonsense there is always sense. If reverse was the case this man will be in Lagos street walking freely. There is more to this lady's case I must confess
DeleteThere was a cam in that room. In every hotel there is a secret cam in each room. Make ur findings
DeleteHonestly, there's more to it. What if the girl was set up?
DeleteAbi how police will be forcing someone to sign a state under duress?
I'm suspecting a conspiracy
The lawyesr that didnt give up on her case knows there is more to this girl's story, and our Nigeria police force really needs to be check mate
DeleteThere are some secret stuff on that case
DeleteI know what I;m saying hotel I know of put secret cam in their rooms for sfety reasons
ReplyDeleteBoss I'm hotel manager before I also understand what I'm saying
ReplyDeleteWhat if the man was actually killed in the girl's absence?
ReplyDeleteI just hope and pray truth prevail in this case
Very esy to do boss man. Cam will just show when the other peoples enter the room. OAU student is a case for example
DeleteWhat actually makes that of Adedoyin tough to that extent was the involvement of OAU. This Chidinma girl seems doesn't have such back up
DeleteTrue
DeleteOkay sir, I wont argue with you on this
ReplyDeleteI repeat they were the only two in d room
ReplyDeleteWhat if the girl went out to get something when the man was killed? Or is it not possible?
DeleteEven in presence of the girl self
DeleteThat's from another angle . They might kill the man in her presence too at least, she would be helpless
DeleteMy brother make we no prolong this issue, in every lie there is always a true line in every lie story , may God see her thru and bring her out if truly she is innocent
DeleteAmen o, that's my prayer for her too
DeleteIts lies from the pit of hell , what do you expect from a wicked bitch, she drugged that hegoat and killed coz of money she overheard him talking about
DeleteMy boss dey talk like he be with them
DeleteSeriously,you guys may not believe me,but I know vividly,that girl killed him due to hard drugs consumed by both of them,but since the guy don die,lawyers must do their work as we always know them as professional liars,it is their work to make sure she didn’t die along with the careless hegoat
DeleteIn Nigerian if hear that someone is criminal I dont believe until dey prove it to people
ReplyDeleteNo proper investigation on that hotel
ReplyDeleteNow u feel me
DeleteThere is more
This issue is just on one side
Why forcing statement on a suspect? Those police officers forcing statements on her must know the hidden truth
ReplyDeleteThey make the case looks like as if they are taking advantage of the poor girl
ReplyDeleteThey should just kill this wicked bitch at once beg
ReplyDeleteYou don't mean it
DeleteYes oooo, the matter don dey wise on daily basis
DeleteSince they don crown her s miss prison sometimes last year, I know some fools go find way to exonerate her in order to continue where the careless dude stopped
ReplyDelete