By Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the 2021 murder of Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, told a Lagos court on Monday that her confessional statement to police was not made voluntarily, alleging threats and coercion by officers.
Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court, Ojukwu — a former UNILAG Mass Communication student — said she was handcuffed, denied access to legal counsel, and warned her family members, including a 10-year-old sister, would be implicated unless she complied.
“The officer said no one would save me and that my family could be charged too,” she stated, adding that the initial statement she wrote was torn up before she was forced to write a new one under pressure.
Ojukwu and co-defendant Adebayo Quadri face eight counts, including murder, over the killing of Ataga, who was found stabbed multiple times in a Lekki apartment on June 15, 2021. Her sister, Egbuchu, is also on trial for receiving stolen property, specifically Ataga’s iPhone.
All three have pleaded not guilty.
Justice Adesanya adjourned the case to April 29 for continuation of the trial.
