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Ataga’s Family Hires Ozekhome to Defend Interest in Seeking Justice in Son’s Murder

Published

2 years ago

August 15, 2021

Eric

The family of Late Mr Michael Usifo Ataga who was brutally murdered on the 15th of June, 2021, somewhere in Lekki, Lagos, has briefed fiery Constitutional Lawyer and renowned Human Rights Activist, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, to protect and defend the interests of the Ataga family and his teeming friends, admirers, kinsmen, and business associates, to ensure that justice is duly served in the matter, and that justice is not only done, but manifestly seen by the public to have been done.

The Ataga family, in its instruction letter to Chief Ozekhome, decried the low level of professionalism exhibited so far by the Police in bringing to book and prosecuting professionally, the perpetrators of this heinous crime that led to Ataga’s unprovoked and cold blooded murder. Only few days ago, the family of late Ataga had accused the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, of being complicit in an alleged attempt to protect the killers of Ataga. The family said that they were shocked that the prosecution of the 21-year old prime suspect in Ataga’s murder, one *Chidinma* *Ojukwu* of the Mass Communicarion Department, University of Lagos, was arraigned at a Chief Magistrate Court, Yaba, without even being informed about the arraignment coming up.

The family had also revealed that one Babalola Disu, who was arraigned for allegedly preventing the Police from performing their duties and failing to report a crime to the Police, is “highly suspected to have carried out the murder”. The family premised its suspicion on information they received to the effect that Disu’s short rental apartment was directly opposite the apartment where Ataga was killed. The family narrated how the said Disu had asked that the carpenter of Air BnB should be called upon to fix his door, only for the carpenter to be told later that it was actually Usifo’s door that was broken.

The family had also accused the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr Odumosu, of being complicit in bungling the case of Ataga’s murder through his lack of depth, thoroughness, and professionalism in his investigation of Ataga’s brutal murder.

It will be recalled that Chidinma Okukwu, a 21-year old Mass Communications student of the University of Lagos, was arrested by the Police on June 23, 2021, for the alleged murder of Super TV owner, 50-year old Usifo, with whom she had a romantic relationship.

Usifo had been found dead on June 15, 2021, with ghastly, multiple stab wounds all over his body, at the said short rental apartment on Adebowale Oshin Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, which Chidinma had personallly booked. The ghastly wounds showed evidence of sustained torture. Chidinma had voluntarily confessed in her first public outing to stabbing Usifo severally with a knife under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and withdrawing the sum of N380,000 from the victim’s account with his ATM card. She was later to backtrack on this confession in a carefully arranged televised interview, where she claimed she had allegedly acted in self-defence. Usifo was later buried on July 30, 2021, at a solemn low-key ceremony at the Ebony Vaults, Ikoyi, Lagos, after a funeral service at the Lady Perpetua Help Catholic church in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Usifo family had also decried the alleged comfortable movement to prison from court and from court back to the prison, of Chidinma in an Uber ride.The family queried why this was done without even handcuffs and without being informed of the intending arraignment.

The family also alleged that the man who had claimed to be Chidinma’s father and who was also charged to the Magistrate’s court for obstructing Police investigation, was actually not Chidinma’s biological father after all, but her “sugar daddy”. The family postulated that this means that the Police had deliberately lied to it.

The family made it clear it suspects the said Disu for having a hand in Ataga’s murder and wondered why he was charged for mere obstruction of Police investigation and failure to report a crime, thus being granted bail in the ridiculous term of 1 million naira only and 2 sureties in like sum. To all other suspects involved in this dastardly act ( except Chidinma who was ordered remanded ) , bail was granted by Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo, in the funny conditions of 1 million naira each with two sureties in like sum. They family said it could understand these over liberal bail terms in such a heinous crime of hideous and horrific murder.

The family views these acts by the Police as a slap on their face, the face of justice and a deliberate cover-up by the Police.

The family has therefore briefed Ozekhome and his Chambers, to take up this case with all relevant authorities, to ensure that justice is manifestly done to the memory of late Usifo through a very professional prosecution of all those involved in this heinous crime, no matter how highly placed they may be.

Featured

Shaibu Eats Humble Pie, Apologises to Obaseki, Says ‘I Missed My Gov’

Published

5 hours ago

September 22, 2023

Eric

Call it the eating of a humble pie, and you may not be wring as the embattled Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, apologised to Governor Godwin Obaseki amid a face-off between them.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday in Benin City, Mr Shaibu appealed to Governor Obaseki to forgive his “mistakes” for them to continue to work together, Channels TV reported.

“I use this medium to appeal to Mr Governor, if there is anything that I don’t know that I have done, please forgive me so that we can develop our state together,” he said.

“We have just one year to go. We have been the envy of the entire country. So, Mr Governor, if there is anything you feel that I have done, please I am sorry. I need us to work together to finish well and strong,” the deputy governor added.

When asked if he had resumed at his new office, Mr Shaibu said, “We have resumed but there is still a lot of work to be done there.

“There is no problem about it. The governor has asked us to go there. Like I have always tried to prove, I am a loyal servant and nothing has changed.

“I took a personal vow to support my governor and you can see my Catholic people are here. When I took a vow with God, nothing can change it and I wish that the relationship that we had will come back in the next few days and weeks.”

Mr Shaibu also said he has been missing the governor since their rift began, and expressed hope that God will “touch the governor’s heart” to forgive him.

“I mean well. If there is any mistake I have made as a human, it is not out of wickedness because I know I’m not wicked. I have a very clean heart.”

Featured

Tinubu Moves to Stop Release of Academic Records, Appeals US Court Judgement

Published

18 hours ago

September 21, 2023

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has appealed against the ruling of Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert, sitting at the United States’ District Court of Northern Illinois which ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release all relevant records pertaining to him.

SaharaReporters had reported how the federal court in Chicago, while ruling on the civil case filed by Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday granted the applicant’s request to the court, stating that former Nigeria’s vice-president had been able to sufficiently satisfy the purpose for seeking the records.

In the judgement documents seen by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Gilbert also ordered a deposition of designated CSU officials within two days after the records have been released, noting further that the process can be conducted during the weekend if necessary.

However, as the school prepared to surrender the papers, Tinubu filed an emergency motion in the district, requesting a higher judge to reconsider Mr Gilbert’s September 19 ruling and postpone the execution until at least September 25, according to People’s Gazette.

“Due to the timing for compliance by Chicago State University – later today – Intervenor is filing this motion separately from its challenge to the Magistrate’s ruling on the application,” Mr Tinubu’s lawyers, led by Christopher Carmichael, said. “Intervenor intends to file, by the end of the day, a substantive brief addressing the errors in the Magistrate’s decision.”

SaharaReporters

Featured

Boy Whose ‘Intestine Went Missing in Lagos Hospital’ Dies

Published

3 days ago

September 19, 2023

Eric

Twelve-year-old Adebola Akin-Bright, whose small intestine went missing during surgery in the hospital has died.

A close member of the family confirmed the tragedy to BBC News Pidgin, adding that Adebola suffered from internal bleeding.

He was subsequently rushed to the intensive care unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) but he did not make it.

Adebola had been battling to survive after multiple surgeries were performed on him and it was confirmed that his small intestine was missing.

His mother, Abiodun Deborah had decried the non-intervention of the Lagos State Government, under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Nigerian Medical Association in the mysterious disappearance of the small intestine of her 12-year-old son while receiving treatment at LASUTH.

Deborah who spoke to SaharaReporters earlier in September narrated how her son, Adebola, was referred to LASUTH from a private hospital, Obitoks Medical Centre situated at Ileepo in the Alimosho Local Government Area of the state on June 17 following a complication from surgery to correct intestinal obstruction.

According to the mother, her son was said to have a ruptured appendix and he had surgery at Obitoks Medical Centre in February 2023.

“After the surgery, he was fine until June when he kept saying he had pain in the stomach. This made us go back to the hospital and the doctor said he had intestinal obstruction and he underwent another surgery,” the mother told SaharaReporters.

She revealed further more than seven days after her son had the second surgery, they noticed that he was still draining bilious fluid.

“We went back to the private hospital and the Chief Medical Doctor told us the boy would undergo another surgery and it will be with the help of a professor from Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH.

“This was why we decided to move to LASUTH since the professor is from there so that they can have total management,” she said.

She added the management of LASUTH told them the boy should not undergo another surgery immediately but they kept nursing him.

SaharaReporters