Follow Us on Google
A High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of 22-year-old Miss Elozino Joshualia Ogege.
Elozino was a 300-level Mass Communication student at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, when she was gruesomely murdered by her assailants.
The battle to secure justice for the deceased was brought to a close following the conviction and sentencing of the duo years after the crime was committed.
Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge delivered the judgment, convicting Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.
The court discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, due to insufficient evidence.
Miss Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta State, was murdered after leaving to meet an accommodation agent in Abraka.
Her death sparked widespread outrage following reports that her body had been mutilated in a suspected ritual killing linked to internet fraudsters.
The Delta State Government prosecuted the case on an eight-count charge.
A fourth defendant, native doctor Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, died in prison custody during the trial.
The case experienced several delays primarily due to the repeated absence of counsel for the first defendant before judgment was reserved earlier this year and delivered on July 29, 2026.
Reacting to the judgment, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, described the verdict as a significant victory for justice.
He extended condolences to the family, noting that while the judgment cannot bring Miss Elozino back, it serves as a strong warning against ritual killings and violent crimes.
Counsel to the third defendant, Mr Benjamin Okoh, also welcomed the verdict, describing it as “justice at last” and commending the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for its efforts.
