Elozino Ogege: Court reserves judgement after 7-year trial

A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi‑Uku has scheduled judgment for Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in the trial of three men accused of kidnapping and murdering Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a Delta State University undergraduate from Abraka.

The charge, filed in 2019, suffered several delays before the trial concluded.

The Court reserved judgment after counsel in the matter filed their final written addresses.

Counsel for the first defendant, S. C. Okehielem Esq., urged the Court to discharge and acquit his client, arguing that the prosecution had not proven the offences charged beyond a reasonable doubt.

Counsel for the second defendant, Cosmas Ogugua Esq., of the Chambers of Olusegun Ajayi, and counsel for the third defendant, Ben Okoh Esq., of the Legal Aid Council, also prayed for discharge and acquittal of their respective clients.

A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, who was originally charged alongside the others and is said to have been a native doctor, died while the proceedings were pending.

Representing the prosecution, Delta State Solicitor‑General Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led Principal State Counsel Funkekeme Junior Solomon, filed the prosecution’s final written address and urged the Court to convict the defendants on all counts.

The prosecution maintained that the evidence presented throughout the trial clearly established the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The defendants—Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, and Enaike Onoriode—are on trial for the alleged kidnapping and murder of Elozino Ogege, which occurred in November 2018.

The late Elozino, then a 300‑level Mass Communication student at Delta State University, Abraka, was reportedly kidnapped and murdered in circumstances the prosecution alleges were linked to ritual activities. The incident sparked national outrage over the brutal nature of her death and drew widespread public attention, particularly within the university community and among women’s rights advocates.

The judgment, expected on July 29, 2026, is anticipated to bring closure to one of Delta State’s most closely followed criminal trials in recent years.