JUSTICE AT LAST: Delta Court Sentences Two to Death Over 2018 Murder of DELSU Student Elozino Ogege

A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of Elozino Ogege, a first-class 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka.

Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, convicted Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode on charges relating to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Ogege.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche.

The judgment brings to a close a case that had lasted for about eight years and attracted widespread public attention across Delta State, particularly in Ogege’s home community in Isoko.

Elozino Ogege, a first-class student of DELSU and an indigene of Isoko, was killed in 2018 after reportedly going out to meet a man who was assisting her in securing accommodation within the Abraka university community.

The case was widely linked to allegations of ritual killing involving suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo plus.”

The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, had prosecuted the defendants over an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder.

A fourth defendant in the case, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, a native doctor, reportedly died during the prolonged trial.

The legal battle was characterised by several delays and adjournments, including repeated absences of counsel representing the first defendant. The trial eventually progressed after the adoption of final written addresses, leading the court to fix July 29, 2026, for judgment.

However, the judgment was delivered on Wednesday, bringing an earlier-than-expected conclusion to the long-running case.

Reacting to the verdict, the Solicitor-General of Delta State and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led the prosecution team, described the judgment as a landmark decision.

Erebe said the court found the two convicted defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder.

He said the defendants received various prison sentences on some of the counts, while the convictions for conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Ogege attracted the death penalty.

According to him, the judgment represented justice for Ogege’s family after years of waiting.

“Today, we witnessed the conclusion of a trial that commenced about nine years ago. The court found the first and third defendants guilty,” Erebe said.

He expressed sympathy with Ogege’s family, particularly her mother, who was reportedly emotional during the court proceedings, saying the judgment could help the family find closure despite the fact that it could not bring the deceased back.

The Delta State Solicitor-General also said the judgment should serve as a warning to young people seeking quick wealth through criminal activities and alleged ritual killings.

He urged youths to desist from crime, stressing that the law would eventually catch up with perpetrators regardless of how long the judicial process takes.

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