The alleged suspect in the murder of Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, Chidinma Ojukwu, was said to have been in a sexual relationship with her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police, Olusegu Bamidele, told a Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square while being cross-examined by Chidinma’s lawyer, Onwuka Egwu, during trial-within-trial.
Bamidele, who is serving with the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba, narrated the findings of his investigation team and how Chidinma confessed to killing Ataga during a scuffle in his hotel room.
Recall that Chidinma, a 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate, of the University of Lagos is standing trial over the alleged murder of Ataga, stealing and forgery alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu.
At the instance of Chidinma’s legal team, the court ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain whether Chidinma statement was made under duress and adjourned the matter till yesterday.
During cross-examination, Bamidele on October 29, 2022, told the court his team stumbled on intelligence that Chidinma was involved in an amorous relationship with his foster father, Ojukwu.
He said: “In the course of our detention of Ojukwu, we stumbled on intelligence that there was an amorous (sexual) relationship between the first defendant (chidinma) and her foster father.
That gave us a hint that Ojukwu was not sincere and that he was aware of the offence that Chidinma is standing trial for today.
“We found that she was concealing the real information. We also established that the mother of the first defendant never approved the custody of the first defendant to Ojukwu and it was on this basis that we charged him to court alongside the three defendants at the Magistrate Court so that the court can decide if he should get bail or not.”
Bamidele also narrated to the court how Chidinma and Mr. Ojukwu were arrested and insisted that due process was followed while obtaining their statements at the Police station.
Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the trial till November, 10.
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