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Usifo Ataga: Chidinma and foster father, Ojukwu Onoh were lovers, witness tells court

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Justice Yetunde Adesanya of a Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), was yesterday told that there was an amorous relationship between Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of the Chief Executive Office of Super TV, Usifo Ataga and her the foster father, Ojukwu Onoh.

A prosecution witness, Deputy Superintendent of Police, (DSP), Olusegun Bamidele, disclosed this while being cross-examined by Chidinma’s counsel, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, during trial within trial to determine the voluntariness of the defendant’s statement.

Bamidele, who is serving with the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti Yaba, said Ojukwu volunteered a statement without duress to the police when she was arrested.

The police officer told the court that it was during investigation that the police stumbled on intelligence, that there was an amorous relationship between the first defendant and her foster father.

He added that they discovered that Mr. Ojukwu was not sincere with the police.

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Ojukwu, a 300 level Mass Communication undergraduate of the University of Lagos, is standing trial with his sister, Chioma Egbuchu and one Adedapo Quadri over murder, stealing and forgery.

At the resumed proceeding, the state counsel, Ms. T. E. Onilaja informed the court that the court adjourned the case for trial within trial at the last date.

During the last proceeding, when the prosecution counsel sought to tender the written statements of the defendants, Chidinma’s counsel Onwuka Egwu, objected to the admissibility of the documents.

He said that she didn’t make the statements voluntarily; that the statements were obtained by oppression, inducement intimidation and under duress and urged the court to test the veracity of the voluntariness of the statements.

However, Bamidele in his evidence, narrated to the court how Ojukwu’s statement was obtained when she was arrested. He told the court that the defendant’s statement was not obtained under duress or inducement.

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He described his office setting and environment to the court, noting that Ojukwu wrote part of her statements by herself, but because her handwriting was not ligible, he helped her to write.

According to DSP Bamidele, when the first defendant (Ojukwu) was brought to his office after she was arrested, she requested for water and told him she was not eating.

The witness told the court that the statement was dated June 24, 2021 and that Chidinma wrote another statement in the evening of same date with her handwriting , which was supervised by his colleague, ASP Funke Madeyinlo.

Bamidele further told the court that he interacted with her in a hall, which he described as having capacity for over 300 people, with a podium.

After listening to his evidence, the judge adjourned to November 10, 2022 for further trial within trial.

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Two killed as fuel-laden tanker collides with truck in Lagos

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Two people were confirmed dead following an early morning collision between a fuel-laden tanker and a tipper truck on the Lekki–Epe Expressway, Sangotedo area of Lagos state.

In a statement on Saturday, Margaret Adeseye, controller-general of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, said the accident occurred in the early hours of the day, prompting officers to rush to the scene.

“It was reported that a speeding 20-tonne tipper truck from the Epe end rammed into a stationary 30-tonne gas tanker that failed to pull over from the highway,” the statement reads.

Adeseye said the collision sparked a fire that spread to three warehouses and 10 roadside shops, including a gym and a generator house, before it was eventually brought under control.

She added that a Total petrol filling station, fully loaded with a 33,000-litre PMS tanker, narrowly escaped a major explosion.

“After the blaze was extinguished, three Sienna buses, one Toyota Corolla, and a forklift parked within the affected area were recovered. Tragically, the tipper truck driver and his assistant, both adult males, were burnt beyond recognition, while the gas tanker driver escaped unhurt,” Adeseye said.

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The agency said that efforts are ongoing to remove the remains of both trucks from the highway, though normal traffic has largely resumed at the scene.

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Cocaine trafficking: Court convicts, fines 10 Filipinos $6m

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The federal high court in Lagos has convicted 10 Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel of trafficking 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport.

The sailors were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in November 2025 at Apapa seaport.

The vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, with registration number 9760110, arrived in Nigeria from Santos in Brazil.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges and entered a plea bargain agreement.

The anti-drug agency had disclosed that its officers discovered the “Class A drug” buried under the ship’s cargo on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

The NDLEA arraigned the sailors and the vessel on a four-count charge.

The defendants are Eugene Quinos Corpuz; Mark Joseph Jardiniano; Alexis Navidad Evarrola; Francis Gerard Niones Carpio; Franz Jude Mayran; Mahinay Junniel Lagura; Mario Ganiban Malvar; Hormachuelos Lordito Guivencan; Joshua Emmanuel Hufanda; and Edwin Baltazar Reyes.

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In his judgment, Ayokunle Faji, the trial judge, found the vessel guilty for an offence under section 25 of the NDLEA Act.

The judge ordered the vessel to pay the sum of N100,000 penalty for the offence and a restitution in the sum of N5.3 million to the federal government.

The judge convicted three principal officers of the vessel who are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants. They were asked to pay N100,000 each and a restitution of $100,000 each to the federal government.

After conviction, the judge ordered the 5th to 11th defendants to pay N100,000 each in addition to a restitution of $50,000 each.

According to the NDLEA, the total money to be paid to the federal government by the vessel and the 10 sailors is $6 million and N1.1million as restitution and penalty.

Reacting to the judgment, Mohammed Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, said the conviction of the vessel and its crew members is a “lesson to international drug cartels and their local collaborators that Nigeria’s territorial waters are no longer a playground for the illicit narcotics trade”.

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“Let this judgment be an unambiguous signal to every shipping line, vessel owner, and sailor worldwide that if you turn your ships into floating warehouses for illicit drugs, you will not only lose your freedom but also your assets,” Marwa said.

“We have moved beyond mere seizures; we are now hitting the syndicates where it hurts most, their pockets and their operational assets.”

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VIDEO: Man caught trying to lure child hawker for sex with ₦1,000

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A man has been caught on video while allegedly attempting to lure a young girl hawking avocados with ₦1,000 for sexual purposes.

The unfortunate incident, which surfaced in a viral video, was shared by content creator LordZeus in a post shared on IG on Monday, who confronted the suspect.

When questioned, the man denied the allegation and claimed he was the girl’s father.

But the child contradicted him, stating that he approached her and asked her to follow him to a secluded place so they could “touch body,” promising to give her ₦1,000. She added that when she refused, the man brought out the cash in an attempt to persuade her.

During the confrontation, some bystanders pleaded on behalf of the suspect, claiming he was mentally unstable and alleging that the girl was not the first child he had approached.

Reacting, LordZeus challenged the defence, questioning why alleged mental illness should excuse such behaviour toward a minor.

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He also used the moment to caution parents against sending young girls out to hawk, noting that female child hawkers are often

He wrote, “Parents please, no matter how hard life gets, do not allow your girl child especially underage to hawk on the streets alone. Even If they must hawk, hawk alongside them.

“They are constantly at risk of se*xual harassment, and many of them will never speak up. I’ve hawked before, so I know exactly what life on the street is like.

“Imagine if this man was able to manipulate the little girl with just 1,000 naira , this will be unimaginable.

“Ihe na-eme nu o. Let’s do everything possible to protect our girl children. Their safety and dignity must come first before any other thing. It can only get better ”

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