Police: Chidinma & father in romantic relationship, more revelations surfaces…

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Olusegun Bamidele, told a Lagos High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square that Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of  Super TV CEO, Usifo Ataga, and her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu, were in a romantic relationship alongside other disclosures.

On the last adjourned date, Bamidele, who is the ninth prosecution witness, told the court how Chidinma transferred the sum of N5m on June 15, 2021, from Ataga’s account to another account.

Bamidele said after the arrest of the first defendant on June 23, 2021, her statement was recorded on June 24, adding that she confessed to killing Ataga.

When the prosecution sought to admit the statement in evidence, Chidinma’s counsel, Egwu, refused, saying she did not make the statement voluntarily.

The prosecutor then requested that a trial within a trial be held for Chidinma.

In order to allow for a trial inside a trial, Justice Yetunde Adesanya postponed the case to November 8.

Onilaja, the prosecutor for the state of Lagos, made an appearance announcement at the matter’s resumed hearing on Tuesday, while Egwu made an appearance announcement on behalf of the first defendant.

Bamidele, who was presented as evidence in the trial within a trial, provided details on Chidinma, her foster father and one minor’s arrest and questioning.

He said, “That night on June 23, 2021, the first team that visited came back with three people: the first defendant, Chidinma Ojukwu; her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu; and an underaged girl. Those were the people I saw. I was in the second team that visited the address that night.”

He said, “Mr Ojukwu was not kept in the cell; he was kept in a protective room and he received and escorted visitors at will.

Asked if he was aware that the first defendant and her foster father had a meeting with the commissioner of police at his office before the parade, he said that he was not.

He responded in the positive when asked to confirm that Mr. Ojukwu was re-arrested on July 25 and held in custody until August 19, 2021.

The witness said that Mr. Ojukwu expressed embarrassment over what Chidinma did and promised to help with the inquiry when asked what he and a 10-year-old girl were doing while in police custody.

READ ALSO: Ataga: How I Killed Late Super TV CEO, Chidinma Confesses

“In the course of him staying with us, we stumbled on intelligence that there was an amorous relationship between the first defendant and her foster father. That gave the impetus that Mr Ojukwu was not sincere and that he was aware of the offence that she is standing trial for today. That she (Chidinma) was concealing vital 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 three defendants at the magistrate’s court so that the court could decide if he could get bail, including one Babalola.”