A Deputy Superintendent of Police, Olusegu Bamidele, testified on Friday at the Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square that Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged suspect in the murder of Super TV CEO Usifo Ataga, had a sexual relationship with her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu.

Bamidele, who works with the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Panti, Yaba, made the revelation during cross-examination by Chidinma’s lawyer, Onwuka Egwu, in a trial-within-trial aimed at determining whether her statement was made under duress.

Chidinma, a 300-level Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos, is standing trial for the alleged murder of Ataga, as well as charges of stealing and forgery alongside co-defendants Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu.

During testimony on October 29, 2022, DSP Bamidele narrated how Chidinma allegedly confessed to killing Ataga during a scuffle in his hotel room. The court ordered the trial-within-trial at the request of the defense to assess the circumstances of the confession.

Under cross-examination, Bamidele stated that intelligence gathered during the investigation suggested an intimate relationship between Chidinma and her foster father, Onoh Ojukwu. This raised suspicions about Ojukwu’s involvement and knowledge of the crime.

He said, “In the course of our detention of Mr. Ojukwu, we stumbled on intelligence that there was an amorous relationship between the first defendant (Chidinma) and her foster father. That gave us a hint that Mr. Ojukwu was not sincere and was aware of the offence that Chidinma is standing trial for.”

Further investigation revealed that Chidinma’s mother never legally approved Ojukwu’s custody of her daughter. Based on this, Ojukwu was also charged alongside the other defendants to determine his bail status.

The court adjourned the case for further proceedings.