By Odafe Isharo
OGWASHI-UKU/Nigeria: A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku has fixed July 29, 2026, for judgment in the high-profile trial of three men accused of the kidnapping and murder of former Delta State University, Abraka student, Elozino Joshualia Ogege, bringing one of the state’s most closely watched criminal cases closer to conclusion.
The court reserved judgment after counsel to the parties adopted their final written addresses, effectively closing arguments in the prolonged trial that has lasted several years.
Counsel to the first defendant, S.C. Okehielem Esq., urged the court to discharge and acquit his client, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
Similarly, counsel to the second defendant, Cosmas Ogugua Esq., from the Chambers of Olusegun Ajayi, and counsel to the third defendant, Ben Okoh Esq. of the Legal Aid Council, also prayed the court to acquit their respective clients, maintaining that the prosecution had not sufficiently established the offences against them.
However, the prosecution, led by Delta State Solicitor-General, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, alongside Principal State Counsel, Funkekeme Junior Solomon, insisted that the evidence tendered during the trial adequately proved the guilt of the defendants and urged the court to convict them on all counts.
According to the prosecution, testimonies and exhibits presented throughout the proceedings established the case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
The defendants — Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro, Nwosisi Benedict Uche and Enaike Onoriode — are standing trial over the alleged abduction and killing of Elozino Ogege in November 2018.
Late Elozino, a 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University, Abraka at the time, was reportedly kidnapped and murdered in circumstances the prosecution linked to alleged ritual activities.
Her death sparked nationwide outrage due to the gruesome nature of the incident, drawing widespread condemnation across the country, especially within academic circles, women’s rights groups and the university community.
The matter, instituted in 2019, witnessed several procedural delays before eventually reaching its final stage. A fourth defendant initially charged in the case, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, said to be a native doctor, died while the case was still pending before the court.
The judgment expected on July 29 is anticipated to mark a defining moment in a case that has remained in public consciousness for nearly eight years and is expected to provide long-awaited closure for the family of the deceased and many observers who have closely followed the proceedings.
