It was an emotional moment in the Asaba High Court in Delta state yesterday April 17th as the Mother of the murdered girl, Miss Elozino Ogege, the first class 300 level student of Mass Communication, Delta State University (DELSU) who was gruesomely killed sometime in November 2018 by suspected ritualists, wept profusely as the suspected murderers pleaded not guilty to the eight-count charge preferred against them by the state Attorney-General.
The body of Elozino Ogege, who was declared missing on November 15th 2018, was reportedly found with her tongue and breasts chopped off. She had reportedly gone on a search for a new accomodation when she met her killers who stole her Tecno phone and then killed her. The suspects who earlier confessed to the crime, said they wanted to use her for Yahoo Yahoo money ritual. Read initial story here and here.
At the trial of the suspected killers yesterday, Mrs. Elizabeth Ogege, who was in court to observe proceedings, bursted into uncontrollable tears demanding for justice immediately the suspects pleaded not guilty in court. She refused to be consoled by the Director of Sexual Offences/Domestic Violence, Uche Akamagwuna, and other sympathizers as she wept profusely, saying “God will avenge the blood of my innocent daughter whose life was cut down in her prime.”
The accused persons identified as Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro, Ojokojo Robinson Obajero, Nwosisi Benedict Uche and Enaike Onoriode, took their plea after the charges were read to them by the Court Registrar, and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The charge sheet in part read
“That you, Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro (m), Ojokojo Robinson Obajero (m), Nwosisi Benedict Uche (m) Enaike Onoriode (m) and one Emese Emudiaga Kelvin now deceased, on or about the 15th day of November, 2018 at Abraka, within the Sapele Criminal Division murdered one Elozino Joshualia Ogege, punishable under Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Law Cap C21, Volume 1, Laws of Delta State 2006.”
Other charges contained in the information filed against the defendants include conspiracy to commit a felony to wit: kidnapping punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C21, Volume 1, Laws of Delta State of Nigeria 2006.
The accused persons, according to the charge, robbed one Elozino Joshualia Ogege (f) of her Tecno K7 Mobile phone while armed with a knife and other weapons.
The matter was adjourned to April 30 and May 15 respectively for hearing.
Meanwhile, a few days ago, Mrs. Ogege had cried out to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa a few days ago to keep to his earlier promise of speedy justice for her daughter.
In a letter entitled ‘An Open Letter To The Governor Of Delta State From The Mother Of Late Miss. Elozino Ogege’, addressed to Okowa and obtained by SaharaReporters, she lamented the “slow and unfair proceedings so far from the court handling the matter” and appealed to the Governor to find time and pay a condolence visit to the family of the deceased.
