Their suspicion is premised on the information they have that Disu's apartment was opposite Usifo’s in the short rental apartment where the latter was killed.
The family of Usifo Ataga, the late Super TV CEO have accused the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu of complicity in an alleged attempt to protect his killers.
The prosecution of Chidinma Ojukwu, the 21-year-old prime suspect in the murder case of the Super TV CEO has commenced and the family are afraid one of the killers has been granted bail already.
The family revealed that one Babalola Disu who was arraigned for allegedly preventing the police from performing their duties is “highly suspected to have carried out the murder.”
Their suspicion is premised on the information they have that Disu's apartment was opposite Usifo’s in the short rental apartment where the latter was killed.
They also said they were shocked to hear that Chidinma was arraigned in court, saying they were not informed by the police before the arraignment of the prime suspect. [story_link align="left"]97512[/story_link]
According to them, Chidinma was reportedly moved to the prison from court without handcuffs in an Uber ride.
“We were shocked to read from the media that she was arraigned in court. The Lagos State Police Command didn’t inform us at all,” a family source told SaharaReporters.
“The other defendants, including the man claiming to be Chidinma’s father wasn’t her father but her sugar daddy. So the police lied about that.
“We were also shocked that Chidinma reportedly left the court premises without handcuffs in an Uber ride.
“One Disu who was granted bail to the tune of N1m is highly suspected to have carried out the murder. His apartment was opposite Usifo’s in the short rental apartment.
“And he reportedly asked that carpenter of Airbnb (Air Bed and Breakfast) should be called to fix his door, only to be told it was Usifo’s door that was broken.
“The Lagos State Police Commissioner is also complicit in bungling this case, we don’t really understand him.”
Chidinma, a 21-year-old Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos, was arrested by the police on June 23, 2021.
She was said to have been in a romantic relationship with 50-year-old Usifo for about four months before the incident.
Usifo was found dead with multiple stab wounds on June 16 at an apartment on Adebowale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase I where he had checked in with Chidinma.
She was consequently arrested on June 23 in Yaba and paraded at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja.
She confessed to stabbing Usifo with a knife under the influence of alcohol and withdrawing N380,000 from the victim’s account with his ATM card. She, however, backtracked later in a video, claiming she acted in self defence.
Usifo was buried on July 30 in a low-key ceremony attended by his family members, including his wife, and friends.
The police had also filed a criminal charge against Mr Onoh Ojukwu, father of Chidinma, and four others. [story_link align="left"]97463[/story_link]
Ojukwu and the four others were arraigned by the police on Monday before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court for obstruction of justice and failing to report a crime to the law enforcement agencies.
Disu, 42, was charged with obstructing the police from performing their duties and failing to report a crime to the police.
The other defendants – Jessica Egbochi, 28; Abayomi Olutayo, 23; and Ifeoluwa Olowu, 23, were accused of receiving stolen items.
All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge.
But Usifo's family have alleged that Disu had a prominent role to play in the murder of Usifo beyond failing to "report a crime to the police".
The prosecution counsel, Cyril Ajiofor, informed the court that Ojukwu prevented the police from arresting his daughter, Chidinma, while the second defendant, Disu, failed to report Ataga’s death to the police
According to Ajiofor, the other three defendants dishonestly received a MacBook valued at N2.5 million and an iPhone 7 worth N150,000 belonging to the deceased.
However, the Usifo family are gutted that Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo granted Disu and other defendants N1 million bail each with two sureties each in the like sum.