Deputy Superintendent of Police, Olusegun Bamidele, has told a Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) that Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, had a sexual relationship with her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu.
Bamidele, who is attached to the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba, disclosed this while being cross-examined by Chidinma’s lawyer, Onwuka Egwu, during trial-within-trial.
Recall that Chidinma, a 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate, of the University of Lagos is standing trial over the alleged murder of Ataga.
She is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu.
DSP Bamidele while testifying in the trial on October 29, 2022, narrated to the court the findings of his investigation team and how Chidinma confessed to killing Ataga during a scuffle in his hotel room.
At the instance of Chidinma’s legal team, the court ordered a trial-within-trial to ascertain whether Chidinma’s statement was made under duress and adjourned the matter till yesterday.
During cross-examination, Bamidele 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 Mr. 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 Mr. Ojukwu was not sincere and that he was aware of the offense 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.”
The DSP 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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