Ataga murder: Chidinma in court, remanded in prison for 30 days

• Remanded in prison for 30 days

Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged murderer of Usifo Ataga, the late CEO of Super TV, has been arraigned before a Yaba magistrate court in Lagos, along with two other suspects.

The Lagos police command brought them before the court on Monday.

The magistrate, Adeola Adedayo, ruled the suspects be remanded in prison for 30 days pending legal advice from the director of public prosecution, following an application by police counsel Cyril Ojiofor.

They were accused of killing the media entrepreneur, who was stabbed to death and left in the pool of his own blood inside a Lagos hotel on June 15.

Chidinma was thereafter arrested in connection with the murder.

The 21-year-old Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos had earlier confessed to stabbing Ataga “twice on the neck side,” alleging that the businessman forcefully had sex with her.

But she later recounted, saying, “I don’t know what happened when I left the room to buy food. Because of what I did after by not alerting the police and withdrawing money from his account, I feel guilty for what happened but I did not kill him.”

Ejiofor on Monday prayed the court to remand Chidinma in police custody pending the issuance of a Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions report on the matter.

“The remand is to enable the DPP to come up with legal advice. We pray for the remand of the defendants for the first 30 days in the first instance,” he said.

Director, Office of the Public Defender (OPD) Dr Babajide Martins, who announced appearance for Chidinma, complained that the prosecution had failed to furnish the defence with the remand application.

But he did not oppose Ejiofor’s prayer “in principle.”

Ruling on the matter, the magistrate, Mrs Adedayo, also remanded Ojukwu’s co-defendant Adedapo Quadri on the same terms.

She said, “In the absence of any opposition, the two defendants are hereby remanded for 30 days in the first instance. The case is adjourned till September 5, for review of remand/DPP’s advice.”