CHIDINMA: SECOND DEFENDANT DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN ATAGA’S DEATH, CLAIMS POLICE FORCED HIM TO SIGN STATEMENT
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The trial over the death of Super TV Chief Executive Officer, Michael Usifo Ataga, continued on Tuesday at the Lagos High Court sitting at the JIC Taylor Courthouse, Igbosere, as the second defendant, Adedapo Quadri, opened his defence and denied any involvement in the alleged crime.
Quadri is standing trial alongside Chidinma Ojukwu and Chioma Egbuchu before Justice Yetunde Adesanya. The trio were charged in connection with Ataga’s death in June 2021.
Led in evidence by his counsel, Babatunde Busari, Quadri told the court that he had never met the deceased and only became aware of his death after he was arrested.
“I have not met him before and I don’t know anybody by the name Ataga,” he said.
He narrated that in July 2021, around 4 a.m., armed men in mufti forced their way into his Surulere residence while he was observing Islamic prayers. He said he was handcuffed and taken first to Area C Police Station and later to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba.
According to him, he was denied access to his lawyer and family before making a statement. He alleged that he was beaten after refusing to write another statement and was compelled to sign a document prepared by the Investigating Police Officer, DSP Olusegun Bamidele.
Quadri acknowledged that two statements, admitted as Exhibits P32 and P33, bore his signature but insisted he personally wrote only one of them.
Under cross-examination, Quadri admitted knowing Ojukwu through a mutual friend but rejected the claim that she was his customer.
He confirmed that she contacted him on several occasions, including requests to help deliver a sealed envelope and to facilitate the purchase of substances referred to as “ruffies” and “loud,” which he said were delivered through a dispatch rider to Lekki Phase 1. He maintained that he never visited the apartment where Ataga was later found dead.
When questioned about alleged forged documents, including a driver’s licence, bank statement, and international passport, Quadri denied producing them, stating that he only delivered a sealed envelope without knowledge of its contents. He added that he merely referred Ojukwu to a University of Lagos staff member when she sought assistance in obtaining a school ID card.
The prosecution, led by Yusuf A. Sule, challenged the consistency of his testimony, pointing to similarities between the two statements tendered in court. Quadri maintained that any content recorded by the IPO reflected answers he gave during questioning.
Recall that in June 2021, Ataga was found dead in a short-let apartment in Lekki. Ojukwu, then a 300-level student of the University of Lagos, was subsequently arrested and charged alongside Quadri and Egbuchu.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants played roles in events surrounding the death of the media executive, while the defendants have denied the allegations.
Justice Adesanya adjourned the case until February 23 for continuation of the defence.
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