{"id":2802,"date":"2026-07-31T08:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T07:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2802"},"modified":"2026-07-31T08:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T07:54:11","slug":"elozino-ogege-lecturers-react-as-court-sentences-killers-of-delsu-first-class-student-to-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=2802","title":{"rendered":"Elozino Ogege: Lecturers React As Court Sentences Killers Of DELSU First-Class Student To Death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By<\/strong> Kelvin Idi\/Melvin<\/strong> Akpesiri<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at Delta State University, Abraka, Prof. Majority Oji, has reacted to the July 29 judgement by a Delta State High Court which sentenced two men to death for the murder of a 300-level Mass Communication student, Elozino Joshualia Ogege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement made available after the judgment, Oji stated that the faculty received the ruling with mixed emotions of relief and grief, noting that although justice appears to have spoken, the pain of losing Elozino remains fresh in the heart of all faculty members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, justice has spoken, but the pain of losing Zino remains\u201d, he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, her absence will always be deeply felt. Though she is no longer with us, her memories live in our hearts, and her story will never be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRest peacefully, Zino. Your cries from the \u2018Great Beyond\u2019 has been heard. Your fight has not been in vain as justice has finally prevailed. We pray that Almighty God will continue to grant you eternal rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO: Bishop Ovwigho Proposes Food Security Model At DELSU\u2019s 120th Inaugural Lecture\u2026VC Hails Novel Idea<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the sentencing, the Dean said the faculty hopes the judgment will serve as a deterrent and bring some measure of closure to students and staff who have continued to mourn her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his reaction, a senior faculty member, Prof. Ben Nwanne observed that the outcome was \u201cJustice served indeed!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Nwanne wondered why \u201cthe wheel of justice grind so slowly\u201d in Nigeria unlike what obtains in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do other countries make theirs move faster?\u201d, he queried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another lecturer in the Faculty, Dr. Joshua Erubami, regretted that while judgment was appropriate for the crime, the pain of losing Elozino was still fresh in the minds of those who knew her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hail the court for the judgment, but the outcome also reminds us of the irreplaceable loss of Zino to her family, our university community and the world she could have imparted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is over eight years since her murder but I still remember our last conversations on the day before her abduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElozino was full of potentials and ready to fly like the star she was. May her soul continue to find peace and may God comfort her immediate family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO: DELSU Security, Police Strengthen Partnership to Enhance Campus Safety<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Conversation recalls that in November 2018, Elozino Ogege, a 22-year-old first-class undergraduate student of Mass Communication at DELSU, was declared missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her lifeless body was later found days after in abandoned area in circumstances many believed were linked to ritual activities, popularly known as “Yahoo plus”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deceased was reportedly killed in Abraka after she went out to meet an agent who was assisting her in securing an apartment within the university community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her killing had sparked national outrage, debates on DELSU campuses, and renewed calls from civil society and women\u2019s rights groups for an end to ritual-related violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following spirit investigations, the Delta State Government, through the office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, had arrested and charged Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro, Enaike Onoriode, Nwosisi Benedict Uche and Robinson Obajero Ojokojo with an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 and July 29, 2026, was fixed for judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, found Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode, guilty of conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery and murder, and sentenced them to death by hanging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one of the accused, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, was discharged and acquitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth person originally charged in the case, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, said to be a native doctor, died during the pendency of the proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prosecution, led by the Delta State Solicitor-General, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, had urged the court to convict all three on all counts, insisting that evidence presented proved their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO: OPINION: Urbanisation Of Security Injustice in Nigeria: When Safety Becomes a Privilege<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his remarks after the verdict, Erebe described the judgment as a “landmark judgement.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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,\u201d Erebe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“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. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continued, “Secondly, this is a judgement that sends a message. The \u2018Yahoo Yahoo\u2019 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also reacting to the judgment, Isoko lawyer Duncan Afahokor described the verdict as “Justice at last,” saying it represented justice that was not only done but “manifestly seen to be done.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This judgment is not only justice done, but justice manifestly seen to be done. It stands as a powerful lesson to young men who may be deceived into believing that wealth can be attained through the killing of innocent lives for ritual purposes. The law has spoken clearly: such barbaric acts will not go unpunished,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I extend my heartfelt regards to the members of the Umeh Need Road Facebook page, whose consistent advocacy and unwavering calls for justice kept Elozino\u2019s memory alive and ensured that her voice was not silenced. May this verdict serve as both a deterrent and a reminder that true prosperity cannot be built on bloodshed, and may Elozino\u2019s soul rest in peace.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Sebastine Ogoloyoyo Agbefe, former President of Isoko Monitoring Group (IMG), and Xino Monnitey, founder and president of The Ideal Isoko Woman (TIIW), had earlier joined other Isoko sons and daughters and Nigerians in condemning the killing of the young first-class Mass Communication student and calling for justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kelvin Idi\/Melvin Akpesiri The Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at Delta State University, Abraka, Prof. Majority Oji, has reacted to the July 29 judgement by a Delta State High Court which sentenced two men to death for the murder of a 300-level Mass Communication student, Elozino Joshualia Ogege. In a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":186,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,35,14],"tags":[25,739,740],"class_list":["post-2802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-education","category-trendingnews","tag-delsu","tag-elozino-ogege","tag-justice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2802"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2806,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2802\/revisions\/2806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}