The family of 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje, who died in 2018 following complications from alleged prolonged sexual abuse, has renewed calls for justice, urging First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to intervene.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, John Ameh, Ochanya’s brother, appealed to authorities to ensure that the suspects, particularly the son of one of the accused, are brought to justice.
“If the Inspector General of Police, the First Lady, and the President are really in charge of this country, they must find these people and bring them to justice, no matter how long it takes,” Ameh said.
He expressed frustration that seven years after Ochanya’s death, one of the prime suspects, Victor Ogbuja, remains at large.
Ameh, a journalist, said that he and other family members had received death threats for continuing their campaign for justice.
“The Ogbujas are not acting alone. They have the backing of influential people. Since the renewed calls for justice, I no longer stay at home because I know they’re against the advocacy,” he revealed.
“Our parents are in the village without protection. We’ve written petitions several times, but nothing has been done. My life and that of my family members are in danger.”
He also recalled being attacked in 2018 during a court hearing in Makurdi when Felicia Ochiga-Ogbuja, the wife of one of the suspects, was arraigned by NAPTIP.
“I was assaulted in court by Mrs. Ogbuja’s younger brother, who threatened to deal with me. I reported to the Benue State Police Command and later to the IGP, requesting protection for witnesses, but no action was taken,” Ameh said.
Ochanya was allegedly sexually assaulted for years by Andrew Ogbuja, a lecturer at Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, and his son, Victor.
In April 2022, the Benue State High Court acquitted Andrew Ogbuja over what it described as insufficient evidence.
His wife, Felicia Ochiga-Ogbuja, was earlier convicted by the Federal High Court in Makurdi and sentenced to five months in prison for negligence after failing to protect the teenager.
Victor Ogbuja remains on the run, while Ochanya reportedly died on October 17, 2018, at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, from vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), a complication linked to repeated sexual assault.
Following renewed public attention on the case, several Nigerians have joined the online campaign #JusticeForChanya, demanding accountability from law enforcement.
Among them is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, who expressed outrage that the alleged perpetrators remain free.
“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 senator wrote on Facebook.
She urged the victim’s family to submit a formal petition to her office at the National Assembly, vowing to pursue justice “for the sake of all Nigerian children.”
