Super TV CEO Murder Trial: Chidinma Ojukwu Disowns Police Confession, Alleges Coercion and Intimidation During Interrogation

 

Testifying before a Lagos High Court on Tuesday, Chidinma Ojukwu, the central figure in the high-profile murder case of Super TV CEO Michael Usifo Ataga, delivered a startling narrative that cast a shadow over the integrity of the police investigation. The former University of Lagos student accused her interrogators of coercing her into delivering a false confession under extreme psychological pressure and physical intimidation.

Standing before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Lagos State High Court, Tafawa Balewa Square, Ojukwu alleged that she was systematically broken down and manipulated into reciting a prefabricated version of events following her arrest on June 23, 2021. According to her testimony, the story she publicly told – and which was captured in video confessions circulated widely in the media – was not her own, but one imposed upon her by the Investigating Police Officer, Mr. Bamidele.

During her emotionally charged testimony, Ojukwu stated that she was never granted legal representation throughout the initial stages of interrogation. That absence, she claimed, left her vulnerable to abuse and manipulation. “Because of the fear that Mr. Bamidele 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.

Describing the early hours of her detention, Ojukwu revealed that her phone was confiscated and combed through, her contacts and communications scrutinized. The officers, she said, also grilled her about her use of cannabis, possession of a laptop, and transactions linked to Ataga’s ATM card — including withdrawals totaling ₦5.38 million, which she denied making. Her denial, however, was allegedly dismissed by Bamidele, who she claimed then demanded she rewrite her statement.

When she hesitated, citing her physical weakness and disorientation, Bamidele allegedly became physically aggressive. “He slapped me on the back and said, ‘There’s no time,’” she recalled. Her trembling hands, she said, made writing difficult. At that point, she testified, the officer took over and began writing the statement himself. When she objected to the content, insisting it was false, Bamidele reportedly dismissed her concern, instructing her to comply or face consequences.

Handcuffed to a chair during this ordeal, Ojukwu said she was ordered to memorize the fabricated narrative before being taken to the Commissioner of Police. “He said, ‘Listen to me carefully, do not say otherwise to the CP if you love your life.’”

The alleged coercion didn’t end there. After the supposed confession to the CP, Ojukwu said she was paraded before journalists in an orchestrated setting. Taken to an open field, she claimed she was surrounded by members of the media and made to recite the scripted statement prepared by Bamidele. “He said what to say. I just repeated it.”

Following the media interaction, she was moved to the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s office, where yet another confession was recorded. This session, Ojukwu claimed, was stage-managed to the point of superficial detail. “They put concealer on my face and made me rehearse using a flip chart,” she testified, adding that they re-recorded the session multiple times until Bamidele was satisfied with the result.

Later that same evening, Ojukwu was escorted to another office by an officer identified as Oseni. There, she was met by two female officers, Funke and Bola. She described how they forced her to draft yet another statement. Her refusal to comply initially was met with hostility. “I said I was hungry, and Bola told me, ‘When you’re done, you’ll get food.’ A male officer smashed my head on the table,” she said.

That second statement, too, was dictated to her. Despite her objections, she eventually signed the document. “Nothing in the statement is true,” she told the court emphatically. “Not even the part about buying food from Blackbell Restaurant. He said, ‘Please sign,’ and I did. Then I was taken back to the cell.”

Ojukwu, alongside co-defendants Adedapo Quadri and her sister Chioma Egbuchu, is currently facing a nine-count charge that includes allegations of murder, stealing, and forgery. The murder of Ataga, whose body was found in a short-let apartment in Lekki with multiple stab wounds in June 2021, drew national attention and triggered widespread debate about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Her testimony on Tuesday introduces significant doubt about the integrity of the evidence gathered against her, particularly the widely publicized confessional statements which had, until now, appeared to implicate her directly.

With the credibility of the police procedures now under scrutiny, Justice Adesanya adjourned the case to May 7, 2025, for continuation of trial. The court is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the allegedly coerced confessions more thoroughly as the defense moves forward in contesting the admissibility and authenticity of the statements.

Legal analysts and human rights observers will be closely monitoring the proceedings, as the case raises broader concerns about due process, the treatment of suspects in custody, and the role of law enforcement in high-profile criminal investigations.