MAKURDI: The family of 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje, who died in 2018 from complications linked to prolonged sexual abuse, has renewed calls for justice, urging First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to ensure that her alleged rapists are finally brought to book.
Ochanya’s brother, John Ameh, made the appeal on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, lamenting that despite years of advocacy, one of the principal suspects in the case remains at large.
Ameh said the family continues to suffer from trauma and intimidation, claiming that they have received several death threats for pursuing justice for the late teenager.
It’s quite traumatising; we’ve been re-traumatised by the renewed call for justice in Ochanya’s case, he said.
If she were the daughter of a prominent person, this would not be happening.
If the First Lady, the President, and the IGP are truly in charge, they must find these people and bring them to justice, no matter how long it takes.
Ameh, who is also a journalist, alleged that the suspects enjoy protection from influential figures, adding that his advocacy work has made him a target.
The Ogbujas are not acting alone. This is a lecturer at the state polytechnic in Ugbokolo, and he has the backing of top people, he claimed.
We have been harassed, intimidated, and threatened. My life is in danger. Since this renewed call for justice, I no longer stay at home because they don’t want this advocacy to continue.
He also expressed concern for his parents, who remain in their village without any police protection. Despite writing multiple petitions to law enforcement authorities, he said no action has been taken.
I wrote to the Commissioner of Police in Benue State and the Inspector General of Police, asking for protection for witnesses and family members. But nothing has been done, he said.
Ameh described it as shocking that seven years after Ochanya’s death, the alleged main suspect, Victor Ogbuja, has not been arrested.
Could you imagine that for seven years, the police have refused to arrest the principal perpetrator of this despicable crime? It tells you about the failure of our system and the government’s inability to fight crime, he said.
Ochanya was reportedly assaulted repeatedly by Andrew Ogbuja, a lecturer at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, and his son, Victor.
In April 2022, a Benue State High Court acquitted Andrew Ogbuja, citing insufficient evidence, while his wife, Felicia Ochiga-Ogbuja, was sentenced to five months in prison without an option of fine by a Federal High Court in Makurdi for negligence, having failed to protect the child.
Victor Ogbuja has remained on the run.
The young girl died on October 17, 2018, at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, from vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) a condition caused by repeated sexual assault.
Public outrage has again mounted on social media under the hashtag #JusticeForOchanya, with citizens and prominent Nigerians demanding renewed investigation and prosecution.
Among them is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who expressed shock that the suspects were not in jail.
In a Facebook post, she wrote:
Seven years ago, the heart-wrenching story of little Ochanya devastated me. I thought the perpetrators were in jail.
Alas, they were discharged and acquitted. The family of the late Ochanya should write a petition to me. For our children, I stand for justice.
As the campaign gains new momentum, the family insists they will not back down despite threats. We only want one thing justice for Ochanya, Ameh declared.
