Chidinma Ojukwu, a former 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, told a Lagos State High Court on Tuesday that all statements she gave to the police during her interrogation were false and made under duress.
Chidinma is standing trial for the alleged murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Michael Usifo Ataga. She made the claims while presenting her defence before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos High Court, sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square.
According to her, fear induced by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Mr. Bamidele, and his team prevented her from telling the truth. “Because of the fear that the IPO and his team put in me, I couldn’t say anything contrary to the narration he asked me to tell the Commissioner of Police,” she testified.
Chidinma, along with Adedapo Quadri and her sister Chioma Egbuchu, faces charges of murder, stealing, and forgery. They were arraigned on a nine-count charge on October 12, 2021.
Chidinma opened her defence on April 17, 2025, and narrated how she was arrested on June 23, 2021. During interrogation, Bamidele collected her phone, demanded her password, and searched her contact list. He asked about her laptop and her visit to Computer Village. “I told him I went to repair one laptop and sold another MacBook,” she said. Bamidele also asked about cannabis she allegedly smoked with Ataga. “I said I got it from someone named Quadri,” she added.
Regarding Ataga’s ATM card, Chidinma said: “He told me N5 million and several other withdrawals totalling N5,380,000 had been made, but I said, ‘Sir, I don’t know anything about it.’”
Afterward, Bamidele allegedly ordered her to write a statement, despite her protest that her lawyer wasn’t present. “I told him I’d already written one, which he tore. When I protested, he slapped me,” she said.
Chidinma claimed her hands were trembling as she tried to write, and Bamidele took over, asking her personal details before writing the statement himself. “He read it to me, and I told him the allegations were false. He said, ‘That will be your story, better comply.’” She said she was then handcuffed to a chair, with one hand free to flip through pages of the statement.
On June 24, 2021, Bamidele and another officer, Chris, returned. After she washed her face, they told her to rehearse the story. “When I missed some words, Bamidele said we were heading to the CP’s office,” she said. She asked about her lawyer, but Chris told her to stop being stubborn and that a government lawyer would be provided.
On the way to the CP’s office in Ikeja, Bamidele allegedly warned her, “Listen to me carefully, do not say otherwise to the CP if you love your life.”
Chidinma said she narrated the same story Bamidele had instructed her to tell. “I couldn’t say anything different because of the fear. My father was brought in, handcuffed alongside me, and confirmed I was his daughter.”
She also recalled being told by Bamidele that journalists would ask questions and she must stick to the story. In an open field surrounded by cameras, she repeated the version Bamidele gave her.
Later, back at the station, she was taken into the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office. There, Bamidele told her they would record a video. Though she pleaded for rest due to a headache and disorientation, the officers insisted. A female officer applied makeup to her face, and she was instructed to speak to the camera. “They kept stopping and re-recording because I was slow or looked unsure. Eventually, they accepted one version,” she said.
That evening, she was taken by another officer, Mr. Oseni, to a room with two female officers, Ms. Funke and Ms. Bola. Ordered to write another statement, Chidinma said she resisted at first, but a male officer smashed her head on a table. “I said I was hungry, and Bola replied, ‘We don’t have time for that. When you’re done, you’ll get food.’”
Chidinma wrote her name, address, and phone number before Funke took over. “She wrote the title and began dictating. My writing was small because I was weak,” she said. Oseni then returned her to the cell.
“Nothing in that statement is true,” she told the court. “Not even the part about buying food from Blackbell Restaurant. When I was done, he said, ‘Please sign,’ and I did.”
Justice Adesanya adjourned the case until May 7, 2025, for continuation of the trial.
ADEOLA KUNLE
