Usifo Ataga’s Family Urges Police To Investigate Beyond Suspect’s Confession, Threatens To Sue Bloggers Peddling Fake News

By Edna Wande On Jun 27, 2021

Family of Michael Usifo Ataga, Chief Executive Officer of Super TV who was brutally murdered on June 15, has urged the police to investigate beyond the confession of the alleged killer, Chidinma Ojukwu.

They also threatened to sue bloggers whom they allege are “peddling falsehoods” about his murder case.

It would be recalled that last Tuesday, Chidinma, a 300-level mass communication student of University of Lagos (UNILAG), with whom Ataga lodged in the hotel where he died, was arrested for stabbing him to death.

Then, the 21-year-old, who was paraded at the Lagos state police command, confessed to the crime but alleged that the media businessman forcefully had sex with her, prior to a second attempt that resulted in a violent confrontation.

Amid multiple reports on it, the development spurred a flurry of reactions and conspiracy theories on social media.

Reacting to this in statement on Saturday, Rickey Tarfa & Co, solicitor to the family, hinted at the possibility that the actual perpetrators of the crime may be covering their tracks.

The statement is titled ‘Libelous Publications In Respect of Murder Of Michael Usifo Ataga: Demand For Restraint By Social Media Practitioners/Persons.

The family through the solicitor charged those behind what it termed “malicious publications” to refrain from “falsehoods” that infringed on the integrity of the deceased, his wife, and children or face a lawsuit.

In the statement signed by Olusegun Jolaawo (SAN) on behalf of the law firm, the family further urged the general public to allow the police conduct their investigations without any distraction or interference.

Ataga’s family demanded that “false publications and the several ordinarily unrelated stories and pictures” of the deceased and his wife Brenda be pulled down or an action to seek redress in court for libel and slander may follow.

The statement partly reads;

We urge those behind malicious social media publications to refrain from publishing falsehood that impinges negatively on the integrity of the deceased, wife, and children or face lawsuits.

We hereby admonish the publishers of these stories to employ whatever shreds of decency and decorum they can find in themselves to desist from their false and misleading stories and let the investigating authorities carry out an effective investigation in the hope of apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous crime and their accomplices.

It added;

Yes, we know that Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu has been arrested and yes we know that investigation is continuing. Our client is, however, convinced that there is much more to this than is already apparent from the police investigation.

The statement noted that there are several “malicious” publications in circulation planted to embarrass and malign Ataga, his wife, Brenda, and their family “and to serve as a smokescreen to enable the perpetrators of the heinous crime cover their tracks.”

Continuing, the law firm said;

Our client appreciates the efforts of the law enforcement agencies in their investigations thus far, and will not descend into particulars with respect to any of the said false narratives so as not to inadvertently aid the perpetrators of the murder in covering their tracks.

Mr Jolaawo called for restraints from the publishers of unfounded stories against their late client, especially bloggers, and threatened legal action in cases of libel.

He said;

Our client at this juncture requests that the well-meaning public allow the family to mourn their departed son, father, and husband with some privacy and decency.

Our client also feels very strongly about the unbridled activities of bloggers on the social media space with respect to this incident and firmly demands that the said bloggers cease and desist from peddling falsehood aimed at maligning the deceased, wife and children. The family will not be intimidated by these bloggers’ activities and insist that the police be allowed to do their work.

Our client hereby demands that the false publications and the several ordinarily unrelated stories and pictures of late Michael Usifo Ataga and Brenda Ataga be pulled down with immediate effect failing which our client shall take prompt and appropriate action to seek redress for the apparent instances of libel and slander as appropriate.

They called for an in-depth investigation of the murder, urging the police to go beyond just arresting the suspect.