Chidinma Ojukwu, a former University of Lagos Student accused of killing Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, on Tuesday said that statements she made during police interrogation were false and under duress. Ojukwu testified in her defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at a Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square.
She is standing murder trial alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu. They are also charged with stealing and forgery.
At the resumed hearing, Ojukwu said that, due to a fear the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Mr Bamidele, and his team put in her, she could not deviate from a narrative they dictated for her. “I narrated what the IPO asked me to say to the Lagos State commissioner of police,” Ojukwu said.
She was led in evidence by her counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu. According to her, after she was arrested on June 23, 2021, Bamidele collected her phone and asked her to input the password, which she did.
The defendant testified that the IPO located her sister’s name in her contact list, asked her to confirm it, and then wrote it down.
She testified that the IPO also inquired about her laptop and her visit to Computer Village, Ikeja.
“He asked what laptop I sold, and I replied it was a MacBook. When he asked where I sold it, I told him it was to a phone vendor. He then noted down the vendor’s address.”
Chidinma alleged that Bamidele slapped her after she expressed concerns about writing her statement without her legal counsel being present. She testified that her hands were handcuffed to a chair while Bamidele read the statement to her multiple times.
She further testified that she was paraded before journalists and was instructed to stick to the ‘script’ provided by Bamidele. She added that she was taken to another office where she was forced to write a statement under duress.
The case has been adjourned until May 7 for continuation of trial.