From Francis Sadhere, Delta

A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of Miss Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, bringing to an end a legal battle that lasted about nine years.

Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, who delivered judgment on Wednesday, convicted Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement beyond reasonable doubt.

Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta State, was murdered in 2019 after she reportedly left to meet a man who had promised to help her secure accommodation within the DELSU community in Abraka. Her death sparked widespread outrage across the country after investigations alleged that parts of her body, including her eyes, breasts and heart, had been removed in what was believed to be a ritual killing linked to suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Plus” operators.

The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, prosecuted the defendants on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, membership of an unlawful society and murder.

A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, said to be a native doctor, died during the course of the trial.

The proceedings suffered repeated delays over the years, largely due to the frequent absence of counsel representing the first defendant. After the parties adopted their final written addresses earlier this year, Justice Azinge reserved judgment before delivering her verdict on July 29, 2026.

Reacting to the judgment, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led the prosecution alongside Okolotu Ugochukwu and Funkekeme Solomon Junior, described the verdict as a landmark victory for justice.

Erebe said the court found the two convicted defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder. While they received varying prison terms on some of the counts, he noted that the offences relating to conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Miss Ogege attracted the death sentence by hanging.

He expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, saying they had waited for years to see justice served.

“Although this judgment cannot bring Elozino back, we hope it provides some measure of closure to her family. They have waited about nine years, and today justice has finally been served,” he said.

Erebe added that the judgment should serve as a deterrent to those involved in ritual killings and other violent crimes, warning that no matter how long it takes, offenders would eventually be brought to justice.

Counsel to the first defendant, Benjamin Okoh, also reacted to the judgment, describing it as “justice at last.”

He said the judgment demonstrated that justice had not only been done but had been seen to have been done. Okoh also commended the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for its role throughout the trial and expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.

From Aliyu Askira, Kano

A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Farida Dan Baffa, has sentenced one Sha’aibu Abdulkadir, to death for the murder of a newly married pregnant woman, Rumasa’u Shuaibu.

Abdulkadir had claimed during the trial that he killed the pregnant woman after she informed him that the baby in her womb belonged to him and not her newly married husband.

The culprit also told the court that the deceased had demanded N500,000 from him and threatened to expose their secret relationship if he failed to pay the money within a given period.

According to evidence before the court, Abdulkadir visited the deceased at her residence in 2025, where he allegedly killed her after she informed him that she was pregnant with his child rather than her husband.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the defendant testified by himself.

In a judgement delivered on July 24, 2026, the Judge sentenced Abdulkadir to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering a newly married 23 year old Rumasa’u Shuaibu.

After reviewing the evidence and submissions of both parties, Justice Dan Baffa ruled that the prosecution had established the offence beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the defendant to death by hanging.

The Police Commander in Rivers has arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and rescued a woman abducted from her shop in the state.

The command’s Spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, disclosed this on Thursday in Port Harcourt.

Agabe said that a white-tinted minibus allegedly used by the gang was also recovered.

She also said that the rescue followed an intelligence-led operation by operatives of the command’s Violent Crime Rescue Unit.

According to her, the victim’s husband, Ikechukwu, 35, reported the abduction on July 11.

“The woman was attending to customers at her shop when armed men stormed the premises and abducted her. The suspects forced the victim into a white-tinted minibus before fleeing the scene.

“Following the report, the command launched an intelligence-driven investigation which led operatives to the gang’s hideout.

“Four male suspects, aged between 28 and 42, were arrested at the hideout. The victim was rescued unharmed during the operation.”

Agabe added that all the four suspects have confessed to their individual roles in the crime.

The spokesperson said efforts were ongoing to apprehend two other members of the syndicate still at large and to recover the firearms used in their operations.

She urged residents to provide prompt and credible information to the police, assuring that “every useful piece of information provided will be treated with the utmost confidentiality”.

She reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property through intelligence-led policing and lawful strategies aimed at bringing criminal elements to justice.