A magistrate court in Yaba, Lagos has ordered that Chidinma Ojukwu be charged with the murder of Usifo Ataga, the late CEO of Super TV, at the state high court.
The court also ordered that one Adedapo Quadri and Chioma Egbuchu, Chidinma’s sister, found in possession of Ataga’s iPhone 7, should face trial for possessing stolen items.
Adeola Adedayo, the chief magistrate, gave the order on Monday following legal advice from the state director of public prosecutions (DPP).
The advice is to the effect that there is a prima facie case of conspiracy to murder, murder, conspiracy to commit forgery, making of documents without authority and stealing against Chidinma.
In the advice dated August 20, the DPP recommended that Chioma Egbuchu should be tried at the high court for being in possession of a suspected stolen item.
“After careful consideration of facts available in the case file, this office is of the view that a prima facie case of conspiracy to murder, murder, forgery, making of documents without authority and stealing, contrary to Sections 222, 233, 363, 379 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015, has been established against Chidinma and two others,” it read.
”Facts available also established against Chidinma, the offence of having possession of things reasonably suspected to have been stolen, contrary to Section 329, of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015.”
In her ruling, the chief magistrate discharged Onoh Ojukwu, Chidinma’s father, as well as one Babalola Disu, Abayomi Olutayo and Ifeoluwa Olowu, based on the DPP’s advice.
On August 9, Ojukwu and four others were arraigned before the magistrate court by the police over alleged obstruction of justice and failing to report a crime to the law enforcement agencies.
The court, at the time, had granted the police’s request and ordered that Ojukwu and others be remanded for obstruction of justice.
Ataga was stabbed to death and left in the pool of his own blood inside a Lagos hotel on June 15.
Chidinma, a student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), was thereafter arrested in connection with the murder.
The 21-year-old student had earlier confessed to stabbing Ataga “twice on the neck side,” alleging that the businessman forcefully had sex with her.
But in a dramatic twist, Chidinma denied her initial confession that she killed the Super TV CEO.
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