A Delta State High Court in Ogwashi-Uku has sentenced two men, Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode, to death by hanging for the 2019 kidnapping and ritual murder of Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a 300-level Mass Communication student at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, who was a first-class student.
Horrific Details of the Crime
The killers provided horrifying accounts of how they plucked out her eyes, removed her breast and heart while she was still alive. Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge delivered the judgment on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, finding the two men guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder after a legal battle lasting about nine years.
A third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, was discharged and acquitted. A fourth defendant, native doctor Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, died during the trial.
The Abduction and Motive
Ogege was lured under the pretense of meeting an agent to secure off-campus accommodation before she was abducted and killed in what prosecutors described as a ritual murder linked to suspected “Yahoo” activities. The case suffered several delays and adjournments over the years, largely due to the repeated absence of counsel representing the first defendant. The trial eventually progressed after the adoption of final written addresses earlier this year.
Verdict and Sentence
Delivering the verdict, Justice Azinge convicted Oghenemaro and Onoriode for their roles in the kidnapping and murder of Ogege and sentenced them to death by hanging for the murder conviction.
Reacting to the judgment, the Solicitor-General of Delta State and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe (SAN), who led the prosecution team, described it as a “landmark judgement.”
Prosecutor’s Statement
“Today, we witnessed the conclusion of a trial that commenced about nine years ago. The court found the first and third defendants guilty of the offences of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping,” Erebe said. “And the offences of conspiracy to commit murder and murder. They were sentenced on various counts of imprisonment. But for the offences of conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Miss Elozino Ogege, they were sentenced to death by hanging.”
“So today, on behalf of the Delta State Government and the Commissioner for Justice, our condolences go to the family. The family has been waiting for justice for nine years, and justice has been delivered to them and the entire family. You could notice that the mother of the deceased was very emotional in court. It is normal. And we are still hopeful.”
Message to Youths
“Our prayer is that, yes, this judgement will not bring her back, but it will help them find closure. And that is what we are praying for. Secondly, this is a judgement that sends a message. The ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ or whatever you call it, ritual killings or whatever, in the end, the law will take its course. So to young men who believe that they want to get rich quickly, yes, through ritual killings, through all these methods, eventually you will end up like the first and third in this matter.”
“The law will take its course. No matter how long it takes, the law will eventually take its course. And I advise you to please desist from crime.”
