Ataga: How Police Threatened, Tortured Me, Forced Me To Write False Statements - Chidinma Alleges

Chidinma Ojukwu, the former University of Lagos student standing trial for the alleged murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Usifo Ataga, on Tuesday told a Lagos High Court that all the statements she made during police interrogation were false and made under coercion.

Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Chidinma said fear instilled in her by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Mr. Bamidele, compelled her to recite a scripted narrative.

Chidinma told the court she was arrested on June 23, 2021, and interrogated without legal representation. "Because of the fear that Mr. Bamidele and his team put in me, I couldn't say anything contrary to the narration he asked me to tell the Commissioner of Police,ÔÇØ she said.

She recounted how the IPO took her phone, accessed her contacts, and questioned her about her laptop, cannabis use, and Ataga's ATM card. When she denied involvement in suspicious withdrawals amounting to 5.38 million, Bamidele allegedly ordered her to rewrite her statement.

"I said my lawyer wasn't present. He slapped me on the back and said, 'There's no time,'ÔÇØ she said.

Chidinma claimed she was too weak and disoriented to write a new statement. "My hands were shaking. He collected the pen and began writing the statement himself. When I told him the content was false, he said, 'That will be your story. Better comply.'ÔÇØ

Handcuffed to a chair, she said she was forced to memorise the statement ahead of a visit to the Commissioner of Police (CP). "He said, 'Listen to me carefully, do not say otherwise to the CP if you love your life.'ÔÇØ

She also said Bamidele warned her to stick to the story when journalists questioned her. "He took me to an open field. Within a minute, journalists surrounded me. I said what he told me.ÔÇØ

Afterward, she said she was taken to the DCP's office where another video confession was recorded. "They put concealer on my face and made me rehearse using a flip chart. We recorded several times until Bamidele approved one.ÔÇØ

Later that evening, Chidinma was taken to another office by an officer named Oseni, where she encountered two female officers, Funke and Bola.

She said they forced her to write another statement and threatened her when she hesitated. "I said I was hungry, and Bola told me, 'When you're done, you'll get food.' A male officer smashed my head on the table.ÔÇØ

She claimed the second statement was also dictated to her, and she signed it under pressure.

"Nothing in the statement is true,ÔÇØ she told the court. "Not even the part about buying food from Blackbell Restaurant. He said, 'Please sign,' and I did. Then I was taken back to the cell.ÔÇØ

Chidinma, along with Adedapo Quadri and her sister Chioma Egbuchu, is facing trial on a nine-count charge bordering on murder, stealing, and forgery.

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