Chidinma voluntarily wrote she murdered Ataga, says police witness – Newstrends
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Chidinma voluntarily wrote she murdered Ataga, says police witness

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A prosecution witness, ASP Olufunke Madeyinlo, on Tuesday testified that Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged murder suspect of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, wrote her statement voluntarily.

Madeyinlo made the statement while testifying as the second prosecution witness in the trial within trial to ascertain whether Ojukwu was coerced or induced to make a statement that she killed Ataga by herself.

Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication undergraduate of the University of Lagos, is standing trial for the alleged murder of Ataga.

She is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside one Adedapo Quadri and her sister, Chioma Egbuchu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ojukwu’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, had objected to the admissibility of the defendant’s statement.

He said that the defendant did not make the statements voluntarily which made the court to go into trial within trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the defendant’s statement.

At the resumed hearing, the Deputy Director of Prosecution, Mrs Adenike Oluwafemi, called her second witness for the continuation of trial within trial.

However, the first defendant’s counsel, Mr Onwuka Egwu, announced his appearance, while the second defendant’s counsel, Mr Babatunde Busari, as well as the third defendant’s counsel, Mrs F.O. Ilesanmi, also announced their appearance.

Madeyinlo who had worked for 33 years in the police, said that on June 24, 2021, the Officer in Charge of the homicide session, Panti Yaba, Razak Oseni, brought the defendant to her office to write her statement.

She said that she gave the first defendant a statement form and a pen.

According to the witness, DCP Adegoke Bayoade, sent for Oseni, who left the first defendant in her office.

Madeyinlo said that about 40 minutes later, Oseni came back to her office and took Ojukwu’s written statement.

She said, “Oseni collected the statement and went away with the first defendant.

“Nothing happened and nobody forced her to write the statement. She wrote the statement herself.”

During cross-examination by Ojukwu’s counsel, the witness said that she shared her office with three other officers, ASP Gbolahon Jemiyo, ASP Gbola Alabi, and Insp. Kolawole Lukman.

When asked if it was after Jemiyo had assaulted the first defendant that her statement was taken, the witness said that she was in the office with only Alabi when the defendant wrote her statement.

Asked if she interacted with Ojukwu while she was writing her statement, Madeyinlo answered in the affirmative.

“I did not ask her any questions, she wrote her statement herself. The only question I asked her was if she was satisfied with the statement she wrote.

“She answered yes, then I asked her to sign it,” the witness said.

Egwu asked the witness if she gave a 10-year-old girl wrapper to cover herself in the night, on June 23 and 24, 2021.

The witness said that she could not remember because the incident happened a long time ago.

Asked if she knew what happened to the statement the first defendant made on June 24, 2021, she said no.

However, Justice Yetunde Adesanya adjourned the case until November 17, for the first defendant to testify in the trial within trial. (NAN)

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BREAKING: EFCC, Cubana Chief Priest agree to settle out of court

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BREAKING: EFCC, Cubana Chief Priest agree to settle out of court

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and celebrity bartender, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly called Cubana Chief Priest, have agreed to settle the naira abuse charge slammed against the socialite out of court.

The Federal High Court in Lagos State, on Wednesday, April 17, granted Cubana Chief Priest N10m bail with two sureties in like sum.

The court on Thursday fixed June 5 for a report of settlement in the case

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He was arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare on three counts bordering on abuse of naira, spraying and tampering with the nation’s currency at a social event contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.

The socialite was alleged to have sprayed the naira on February 13, 2024 at Eko Hotel.

Cubana Chief Priest was said to have also committed the offences while dancing during a social event.

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Security forces, vigilantes arrest kidnapper terrorising communities in Kogi

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Abubakar Ali Damina

Security forces, vigilantes arrest kidnapper terrorising communities in Kogi

Security forces have arrested a suspected kidnapper and gun runner terrorising communities in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The suspect, Abubakar Ali Damina,43, was arrested on Monday at Ofodo village close to Igabada during a joint operation conducted by security forces and vigilante operatives led by Mohammed Ajitata.

Abubakar, who hails from Bida in Niger State, was found in possession of a single-barrel dane gun, along with various suspicious items including charms, a gun firing cap, and local bullets.

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Preliminary investigations revealed his connection to an unidentified Hausa man from Shanawa, Lokoja LGA, from whom he allegedly purchased the gun.

Abubakar confessed to his involvement in criminal activities and disclosed his migration history from Niger State to various locations before settling in Igabada, Igalamela/Odolu LGA, in 2021.

The Igamela-Odolu Local Government Departmental Security Officer, Mohammed Aminu, who confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, said the suspect is currently detained at the Kogi State Vigilante Service facility for further investigation.

Security forces, vigilantes arrest kidnapper terrorising communities in Kogi

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Three ‘EFCC officials’ arrested for kidnapping, robbery in Nasarawa

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Three ‘EFCC officials’ arrested for kidnapping, robbery in Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State Police Command has announced the arrest of three fake officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of the State.

This was contained in a press statement in Lafia on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Ramhan Nansel.

According to Nansel, the suspects who had been disturbing the peace of residents of the area recently launched an attack around the Federal Polytechnic in the Nasarawa LGA where they robbed people of their belongings and subsequently abducted a National Diploma student of the institution, Adudu Kingsley.

He further explained that the victim was released and the suspects arrested following painstaking efforts by officers of the command.

“On 17/04/2024 at about 1545hrs, a distress call was received that four individuals posing as the EFCC personnel, using a Toyota Corolla, green in colour, with registration number, Abuja YAB 509 TT, robbed some students of the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa at Samakwe Lodge behind Government College, Nasarawa LGA and abducted one Adudu Kingsley, an ND II Student of the same Polytechnic.

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“Reacting to the unsavoury development, police operatives gave the suspects a hot chase and a roadblock was mounted at the Laminga junction to stop the suspects from escaping with the victim, but they hit the barrier and fled.

“Furthermore, police operatives at Anguwan Madugu were contacted to mount another roadblock, which the suspects sighted from a distance, abandoned their operational vehicle and the abducted student and fled.

“Luck ran out of one of the suspects as he was caught and beaten mercilessly by a mob before the arrival of the police while others fled. The suspect was rescued from the mob by the police and rushed to the Primary Health Care, Laminga, where he died while receiving treatment.”

However, it was stated that the operational vehicle of the suspects was recovered and taken to the station where a search was conducted and two identification cards identifying the fleeing members of the syndicate were recovered.

“A follow-up investigation into the case led to the arrest of three other members of the gang namely: Hyelda Aliyu Ibrahim, Henry Patrick Okwu and Shuaibu Abubakar (the operational driver of the syndicate) all males of Custom Quarters and Up Market area of Masaka where one iPhone 12 Promax, Huawei and one Tecno Spark 5 earlier robbed from some of their victims and fake EFCC ID cards were recovered from them as exhibits.

“The suspects have confessed to being the syndicate responsible for robbing and terrorising student areas in Keffi and Nasarawa LGAs. Efforts are ongoing to arrest one identified suspect who is at large.

Also, victims of their nefarious activities have come forward and identified the suspects.”

Nansel added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Nadada, had ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia, while assuring the public that the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution upon the conclusion of an investigation into the matter.T

Three ‘EFCC officials’ arrested for kidnapping, robbery in Nasarawa

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