…Third Defendant Acquitted
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A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku has sentenced Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a first-class student of Delta State University, Abraka.
Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge delivered the judgment on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, bringing the widely followed criminal trial to an end about seven years after the defendants were charged.
The court found Oghenemaro and Onoriode guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder.
Justice Azinge imposed terms of imprisonment on the kidnapping-related counts and sentenced both men to death by hanging following their conviction for the murder of Ogege.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted Nwosisi Benedict Uche, the other surviving defendant who stood trial in connection with the killing.
Ogege was a 300-level Mass Communication student at DELSU and was reportedly maintaining first-class academic standing before she was murdered in November 2018.
She was allegedly lured from the university community after approaching a person she believed could assist her in securing accommodation in Abraka.
Her disappearance and subsequent killing generated national outrage after police investigations linked the crime to suspected internet fraudsters popularly described as “Yahoo Yahoo Plus” operators and alleged ritual activities.
The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, subsequently charged Oghenemaro, Onoriode, Uche and a fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder.
Ojokojo, who was described as a native doctor, died while the trial was still pending, leaving the three surviving defendants to continue with the proceedings.
The charge was filed in 2019, but the trial suffered several delays and repeated adjournments, including delays attributed to the absence and failure of counsel representing Oghenemaro to comply with the court’s directions.
The matter eventually proceeded to its final stage after counsel to the prosecution and the defendants adopted their written addresses earlier in 2026.
The prosecution, led by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, urged the court to convict the defendants, maintaining that the evidence presented during the trial established their involvement beyond reasonable doubt.
Counsel to the defendants had asked the court to discharge and acquit their clients, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them.
Justice Azinge reserved judgment until July 29 after the parties concluded their submissions.
Reacting after the judgment, Erebe described the decision as a landmark victory for justice and expressed sympathy with Ogege’s family, which had waited several years for the conclusion of the case.
He acknowledged that the conviction could not bring the deceased student back but expressed hope that the outcome would provide some measure of closure to her mother and other members of the family.
Erebe said the emotional reaction of Ogege’s mother in court reflected the prolonged pain experienced by the family while waiting for justice.
The Solicitor-General also said the judgment sent a strong warning to young people who might be tempted by ritual killings or other criminal methods in pursuit of quick wealth.
He maintained that no matter how long a criminal trial takes, the law will eventually catch up with persons found responsible for serious offences.
Isoko lawyer Duncan Afahokor also welcomed the judgment, describing it as justice that was not only done but was manifestly seen to have been done.
Afahokor said the decision should serve as a warning to young people who believe that wealth can be obtained through the killing of innocent persons for ritual purposes.
He commended members of the Umeh Need Road Facebook community and other campaigners whose sustained advocacy kept Ogege’s case in public consciousness throughout the lengthy trial.
Dr Sebastine Ogoloyoyo Agbefe, a former President of the Isoko Monitoring Group, and Xino Monnitey, founder and President of The Ideal Isoko Woman, also welcomed the verdict as justice for Ogege and her family.
The two convicts retain the constitutional right to challenge their convictions and sentences before the Court of Appeal.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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