Court sentences two people to death for the murder of a DELSU student after an eight-year trial

Almost eight years after the gruesome murder of Delta State University undergraduate, Elozino Ogege, the Delta State High Court, sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for their roles in the crime.

The court of first instance, chaired by Justice Ngozi Azinge, convicted the two defendants after finding them guilty of the kidnapping and murder of the 300-level mass communication student, whose killing in November 2018 sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns about insecurity.

Judge Azinge, in his ruling delivered on Wednesday, found that the prosecution had proved its case against the convicts beyond reasonable doubt.

The court, however, acquitted a third defendant, a security guard, after determining that the evidence presented against him was insufficient to support a conviction.

The ruling ended a long legal battle over the killing of Ogege, whose death drew widespread condemnation from students, civil society organizations and Nigerians across the country.

Ogege, then a 300-level mass communication student at Delta State University, was kidnapped and later killed in November 2018 in a case that drew national attention and prompted calls for justice.

The case has become one of the most closely watched criminal trials in Delta State, with the victim’s family and rights advocates insisting that those responsible be brought to justice.

With Wednesday’s verdict, the court upheld the prosecution’s case against the two convicts, ordering that they be executed by hanging in accordance with the law.

The security guard’s acquittal underlined the court’s position that criminal responsibility must be established through credible and convincing evidence.

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