Delta Ritual Murderers Sentenced to Hang

​ABRAKA — After a grueling seven-year legal battle, a Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku has handed down death sentences by hanging to Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode for the brutal 2019 kidnapping and ritual murder of Elozino Joshualia Ogege.

​The victim, a promising 300-level Mass Communication student and first-class scholar at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, met a gruesome fate when she was lured under the guise of securing off-campus accommodation. Prosecutors revealed that the convicts subjected the young student to unimaginable horrors, harvesting her eyes, breast, and heart while she was still alive. The heinous crime was subsequently linked to ritualistic practices associated with internet fraud, locally known as “Yahoo.”

​Delivering the landmark judgment on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge found Oghenemaro and Onoriode culpable on a four-count charge encompassing conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.

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​The protracted trial faced numerous setbacks over the years, primarily driven by the recurring absence of defense counsel for the first defendant. However, the legal proceedings regained momentum, culminating in the adoption of final written addresses earlier this year.

​While justice caught up with the primary perpetrators, the court delivered mixed verdicts for the remaining co-accused. A third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, was discharged and acquitted of all charges, while a fourth defendant, a native doctor identified as Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, passed away during the course of the trial.

​Reacting to the outcome, the Solicitor-General of Delta State and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe (SAN), who spearheaded the prosecution, hailed the ruling as a monumental victory for justice and the rule of law.