Delta State High Court Sentences Two to Death for Elozino Ogege’s Kidnapping and Murder
The Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi‑Uku has sentenced Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode to death by hanging for the 2019 kidnapping and murder of Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a first‑class Mass Communication student of DELSU Abraka.
Delivering judgment, Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge found the defendants guilty of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder, while acquitting a third accused, Nwosisi Benedict Uche. The ruling concluded a nine‑year legal battle marked by delays and procedural setbacks.
Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta State, was killed in 2019 in what prosecutors described as a ritual killing allegedly carried out by suspected internet fraudsters, commonly referred to as “Yahoo Yahoo plus” operators.
According to the prosecution, the undergraduate was murdered in Abraka after leaving to meet an individual who had offered to help her secure accommodation within the university community.
The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, had arraigned Oghenemaro, Onoriode and Uche on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder. A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, identified as a native doctor, died while the trial was ongoing.
The case experienced multiple delays over the years, largely due to the repeated absence of counsel representing the first defendant. Proceedings eventually resumed after the adoption of final written addresses earlier this year, with Justice Azinge fixing July 29, 2026, for the delivery of judgment.
In her ruling, Justice Azinge convicted Oghenemaro and Onoriode for their involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Ogege and sentenced both men to death by hanging for the murder conviction.
Reacting, Omamuzo Erebe SAN, Delta State Solicitor‑General, described the verdict as a landmark judgment that should serve as a deterrent against ritual killings and crimes linked to “Yahoo Yahoo plus” practices. He also said the ruling should serve as a strong warning against ritual killings and other crimes associated with the pursuit of quick wealth, stressing that the law would ultimately catch up with perpetrators regardless of how long it takes. He urged young people to shun criminal activities.
Isoko lawyer Duncan Afahokor hailed the decision as “justice at last,” emphasizing that such heinous crimes will not go unpunished.
Also reacting, Isoko lawyer Duncan Afahokor described the decision as “justice at last,” saying it demonstrated that justice had not only been done but had been seen to be done. He expressed hope that the verdict would act as a deterrent to similar crimes while offering prayers for the repose of Ogege’s soul.
Former President of the Isoko Monitoring Group (IMG), Dr. Sebastine Ogoloyoyo Agbefe, and the founder and president of The Ideal Isoko Woman (TIIW), Xino Monnitey, also welcomed the judgment. They had previously joined other Isoko stakeholders and Nigerians in condemning Ogege’s killing and demanding justice, describing Wednesday’s verdict as justice served for the slain undergraduate and her family.
The judgment has been widely welcomed by stakeholders, who believe it reinforces the principle that justice, though delayed, must ultimately be delivered.
