After 9 Years Of Trial, Court Sentences Killers Of DELSU Student Ogege To Death

A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South local government area, has sentenced two men to death by hanging.

The men, Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode, kidnapped and murdered a 22-year-old Miss Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka.

Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta state, was gruesomely murdered in 2019 after reportedly leaving to meet an agent who had offered to help her secure accommodation within the DELSU community in Abraka.

The case is bringing to a close a nine-year legal battle over one of the state’s most notorious murder cases.  Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, who delivered judgment, convicted Oghenemaro and Onoriode on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, after finding insufficient evidence to sustain the charges against him.

A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, a native doctor, alleged to have requested her body parts for money-making purposes, died in prison custody during the course of the prolonged trial.

Her death sparked widespread outrage after reports alleged that parts of her body, including her eyes, breasts, and heart, had been removed in what investigators linked to a ritual killing involving suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “ahoo Yahoo Plus” operators. The Delta state government, through the office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, arraigned the defendants on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, membership of an unlawful society, and murder.

The case experienced several adjournments over the years, largely due to the repeated absence of counsel representing the first defendant.

Following the adoption of final written addresses earlier this year, Justice Azinge reserved judgment, which was delivered on 29 July 2026. ‎ ‎Reacting to the judgment, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led the prosecution alongside Okolotu Ugochukwu and Funkekeme Solomon Junior, described the verdict as a landmark judgment and a significant victory for justice. ‎ Today, we witnessed the conclusion of a trial that commenced about nine years ago. The court found the first and third defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping, as well as conspiracy to commit murder and murder, “Erebe said. ‎

They received various terms of imprisonment on the different counts. Still, for the offences of conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Miss Elozino Ogege, they were sentenced to death by hanging””‎ ‎Expressing sympathy for the deceased’s familyy, Erebe said the judgment would hopefully bring them some measure of closure. ‎

On behalf of the Delta State Government and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, we extend our condolences to the family. They have waited nine years for justice, and today justice has finally been served. Although this judgment cannot bring Elozino back, we hope it will help the family find closure, “he said. ‎ ‎He added that the judgment should serve as a strong warning against ritual killings and other violent crimes.

“his judgment sends a clear message to young people seeking quick wealth through ritual killings or other criminal means. No matter how long it takes, the law will eventually catch up with offenders. I urge everyone to desist from crime because the law will always take its course, “he stated. ‎ ‎Counsel to the 3rd defendant, Mr Benjamin Okoh, also reacted to the verdict, describing it as “justice at last.”

‎According to him, the judgment represented justice that was not only done but manifestly seen to have been done.

He commended the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACN) for its efforts throughout the proceedings and expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.