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Ataga’s Murder: Police Tore My Statement, Coerced Me To Sign Theirs — Chidinma

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Chidinma Ojukwu, a prime suspect in the murder of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Usifo Ataga, yesterday, told a Lagos State High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) that the two statements she wrote were torn by the police.

Ojukwu told Justice Yetunde Adesanya that she was coerced to sign the statement written for her by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Olusegun Bamidele and one dictated to her by Olufunke Madeyinlo.

She disclosed this in her testimony in trial within trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the statement to the police.

Ojukwu, a suspected 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate, of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) is standing trial over the alleged murder of Ataga alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.

They were also charged with stealing and forgery aside from the case of murder. She alleged that she was told to rehearse the statement Bamidele wrote and narrate it to the Commissioner of Police (CP).

Led-in- evidence by her counsel, Mr. Onwunka Egwu, Ojukwu said before she was taken to the CP’s office at Ikeja on June 23, her hands were handcuffed to the chair she sat,  until the following day on June 24, when she was brought out of the interrogation room and taken to Ikeja.

She told the court that on June 23, 2021, while in her room at No 47 Akinwunmi Street Alagomeji Yaba, her 10-year-old sister came to inform her that there were men in the sitting room looking for her.

“When I came to the sitting room, I greeted them and they asked if I was Chidinma and I replied in the affirmative. They asked me where Mr. Ataga’s phone and his Range Rover vehicle was?  I replied, ‘I don’t know’.

“Then, my sister went to call my Dad (her Foster Father Onoh Ojukwu). When my Dad came out, he asked who they were?. They said they were policemen.

“They told him that they were from Panti Police Station. They said that they came to arrest me and to search the house or I should go in and bring the phone. I said I don’t know where the phone and car were.

“ So, one of the policemen slapped me and my Dad said you cannot slap my daughter in my house and the policemen tried to enter the room from the passage,” she said.

But the  Deputy Director of Public Prosecution (DDPP), Adenike Oluwafemi, opposed the line of evidence, arguing that she was giving evidence of the case instead of how her statement was taken.

She, however, said she was handcuffed and taken away from their sitting room into the police vehicle. “When I was entering the vehicle, I told my Dad to call my lawyer, our family lawyer, Mr. Egwu.

When asked if she could remember some of the questions the IPO had asked her, Ojukwu said that she was asked to state her name, where she is from, where she lives, how she met Ataga, how many days she spent in the apartment and when she left.

She said the handcuffs were removed in the morning of June 24, when Bamidele and Chris came to ask her to sign the statement.

After listening to her testimony, the judge gave the prosecution and the defendant counsel 14 days each to file their written addresses in the trial within trial.

The judge adjourned the case to January 11, 2023, for the adoption of final written addresses.

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Lagos State Flags Off – NCAOOSCE Advocacy Campaign To Tackle Out-Of-School Children Crisis

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The Lagos State Advocacy Team of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) today officially flagged on its state-wide advocacy campaign aimed at revitalizing efforts to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

The flag-on ceremony, themed “Revitalization of the Out-of-School Children’s Initiative,” was held at the Palace of His Royal Majesty, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla III, the Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom, who served as Royal Host and Special Guest of Honour. In his address, the Chairman of the Lagos State Advocacy Team emphasized that the campaign is not just a government programme, but a national movement to restore dignity, opportunity, and inclusion for every Nigerian child currently excluded from formal education. The Commission commended His Royal Majesty for his continued contributions to education in Lagos State, including scholarship schemes, infrastructure support, menstrual hygiene initiatives, and the establishment of the Centre for Lagos Studies at Lagos State University. The campaign aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and supports the six strategic education priorities of the Federal Ministry of Education under Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON. Lagos is one of eight pioneering states championing this renewed national effort. The Lagos State campaign will cover all 245 wards across the state’s three senatorial districts, engaging traditional leaders, religious institutions, market groups, youth associations, and civil society organizations. A total of 1,225 local volunteers will be selected to champion the Commission’s flagship National Adopt an Out-of-School Child (N-OOSC) program at the grassroots level.

Key focus areas of the advocacy include: Ending street begging and child exploitation; Ensuring child identity through birth registration; Promoting safe, inclusive, and dignified learning spaces; Eradicating abuse disguised as discipline; Empowering communities to own the educational future of their children. “This campaign is not against religion or tradition,” the Advocacy Team reiterated. “It is about integration, dignity, and giving every child a fair chance.” The event concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders—government, traditional institutions, faith leaders, educators, and the public—to unite in ensuring that no child is left behind.

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BREAKING: Federal Government Declares Tuesday Public Holiday To Honour Buhari

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The Federal Government has declared Tuesday, July 15, 2025, as a public holiday in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away on Sunday.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the public holiday on Monday on behalf of the Federal Government, after receiving approval from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

More to come…

 

 

 

 

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FirstBank, NLNG, Shell Back QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit

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Nigeria’s leading commercial bank, First Bank of Nigeria, has joined forces with Mighty Media Plus Network Limited for the maiden edition of the QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit.

Also supporting the event are Nigeria LNG (NLNG) and Shell Nigeria, two major players in the country’s energy and development sectors.

Chief Executive Officer of Mighty Media Plus Network Limited, Olumide Iyanda, announced the partnerships in a statement on Monday.

Mr Iyanda described FirstBank’s involvement as a strong statement of the bank’s belief in the power of Nigeria’s creative sector.

“FirstBank’s support is a reaffirmation of its long-standing commitment to promoting the creative economy,” he said. “Through First@arts, the bank has become a reliable partner to talents, institutions, and organisations working to grow Nigeria’s cultural assets.”

First@arts is FirstBank’s platform for supporting the arts. It provides financing, advisory services, and exposure for creatives across the value chain. The bank has backed major cultural events and partnered with institutions such as British Council, Duke of Shomolu Productions, Live Theatre Lagos, Freedom Park and Terra Kulture.

Among the projects FirstBank has supported are The Headies Awards, Lagos International Theatre Festival, The Oxymoron of Kenny Blaq, Kurunmi, Eni Ogun, and Oke Langbodo.

Iyanda also praised NLNG for its role in promoting excellence in literature and science through The Nigeria Prize for Literature, The Nigeria Prize for Science, and The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.

“NLNG has shown leadership by rewarding creativity and innovation in ways that impact both the literary and scientific communities,” he said.

The prizes, worth up to USD100,000, are among the most prestigious on the continent. They celebrate Nigerian authors, critics, and scientists whose work makes a real difference.

Shell’s support for the summit reflects its ongoing commitment to education and social development. The company focuses on sustainable, community-driven educational projects, ranging from scholarships to infrastructure development and ICT donations.

“Shell’s belief in education as a foundation for long-term progress aligns with our vision for the summit,” Iyanda added.

He further noted that more sponsors will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

The QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit, themed “Financing as Catalyst for a Thriving Creative Economy,” will take place on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The venue is the prestigious Radisson Blu Hotel, Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The summit will bring together creatives, investors, policymakers, and business leaders to explore solutions to the funding challenges facing Nigeria’s creative industries.

Gbenga Bada
For QEDng creative powerhouse summit committee
08028599392

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