Murder of Super TV CEO: Why we can’t take action yet on our student — UNILAG

By TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE, Lagos

The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has said that it is yet to take any decision against Chidinma Adaora Ojukwu, a 300-level Mass Communication student who, on Thursday, publicly recounted how she stabbed her lover, Super TV CEO, Mr Usifo Ataga, to death some days earlier in the Lekki area of Lagos.

Chidinma, 21, narrated the incident to newsmen while she was being paraded for the crime by the Lagos State police command at its headquarters in Ikeja.

Speaking to Saturday Tribune on Friday on the matter, UNILAG’s Deputy ViceChancellor (Academics and Research), Professor Oluwole Familoni, said although the university received the news with shock, it could not take any instant decision against the student.

Professor Familoni said this was because the university was yet to receive any official report from the appropriate quarters, especially the police, on the allegation levelled against the student.

He said Chidinma committed the alleged crime far away from the university campus and therefore her action was personal and had nothing to do with UNILAG.

According to him, even though the university is not claiming that all its students are saints, it doesn’t teach its students how to murder people or do wrong things.

“So, to us in UNILAG, it is very unfortunate that the girl is not a good ambassador of our university. But then, we can’t disown her because of her alleged action which the school totally condemns,” he said.

He insisted that what Chidinma had done, “as of today” (Friday), was still on the pages of newspapers and other media platforms and the university could not act based on that.

“So, if the university will do anything on the matter, particularly now, it will require official communication from appropriate authorities, particularly the police, to the university,” he stressed.

Professor Familoni pointed out that even at that, one thing is clear and that is, once a student is in police or correctional custody, such a student cannot at the same time be in school let alone register for courses, nor attend lectures nor do any examination.

“So, if they write us that our student has committed a criminal offence of any type, definitely, the law will take its course and that invariably means she will not be able to qualify to remain as our student.

“But as I have said, that could only be when the matter is officially communicated to us,” Professor Familoni emphasised. (Saturday Tribune)