Usifo Ataga’s murder: Police forced me to write false statement – Chidinma

Chidinma Ojukwu, a former 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, on Tuesday told a Lagos State High Court that all statements she made to the police during interrogation were false and made under duress.

Ojukwu is currently on trial for the alleged murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Usifo Ataga.

Testifying in her own defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square, Chidinma claimed fear prevented her from telling the truth during questioning by the police.

“Because of the fear instilled in me by the Investigating Police Officer, Mr. Bamidele, and his team, I couldn’t say anything other than what I was instructed to tell the Commissioner of Police,” she testified.

Chidinma, alongside Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, is facing a nine-count charge involving murder, stealing, and forgery. They were first arraigned on October 12, 2021.

The defendant, who began her defence on April 17, 2025, narrated her arrest on June 23, 2021, and the events that followed.

She said her phone was seized by Mr. Bamidele, who forced her to unlock it, accessed her contacts, and interrogated her about her laptop and a MacBook she had sold. He also questioned her about cannabis she allegedly smoked with Ataga.

According to her, the IPO accused her of withdrawing N5.38 million using Ataga’s ATM card—a claim she denied.

Despite telling the police she had already written a statement and her lawyer was absent, she said she was slapped and forced to comply.

“I was handcuffed to a chair. When I couldn’t write fast enough, Bamidele took over and wrote the statement himself. I told him the contents were false, but he insisted I comply or face consequences,” she told the court.

The next day, she said she was forced to rehearse the statement before being taken to the Commissioner of Police’s office, where she was ordered to repeat it word-for-word under threat.

“I was too scared to say anything else. They even brought my father and asked if he knew me, while we were both handcuffed,” she said.

She further alleged she was forced to repeat the same narration during a staged media appearance and a video recording arranged by the police, after being given concealer to touch up her face.

“They made me redo the video multiple times until they got one they were satisfied with,” she said.

Later that evening, she claimed she was forced by two female officers, Ms. Funke and Ms. Bola, to write another statement, during which a male officer allegedly slammed her head on a table when she resisted.

“I was weak and hungry, but they made me write the dictated statement. Nothing in it was true—not even the part about ordering food from Blackbell Restaurant,” she added.

Justice Adesanya adjourned the case until May 7, 2025, for continuation of trial.