The sad story of Ochanya Ogbanje and what led to her death has resurfaced online seven years later, and now Nigerians are calling for justice and pushing for a reopening of the case.
13-year-old Ochanya, a junior secondary student of the Federal Government College, Gboko, Benue State, reportedly died on October 17, 2018, after months of illness attributed to vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) disease. Her condition was linked to years of sexual abuse while living with her guardian.
How it all started
Born on March 10, 2005, Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje was the last child of her parents’ eleven children. At just five years old, she was sent by her parents to live with her aunt, Felicia Ogbuja, and her husband, Andrew, a lecturer at the Benue State Polytechnic, and their five children in the hopes of receiving a better education.
According to reports, Ochanya’s horrific journey with abuse started when her cousin, Victor, allegedly began to sexually assault her. When her uncle got wind of the act, he also joined in sexually abusing her.
However, it was not until 2012 that she began developing complications from the abuse. She fell sick and was taken to the hospital, where she spent six days. She recovered but was continually in and out of the hospital. While sharing her story in 2021, her mother, Rose Ogbanje, noted that Ochanya soon began to experience urinary incontinence, a condition that made her unable to control her urine. It became so bad that she began to wear diapers; however, her condition didn’t improve.
She was admitted to the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, for two months, where she died from VVF complications in 2018.
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Aftermath of her death
Ochanya’s death was met with public outrage and a series of protests by civil society groups calling for justice.
Andrew Ogbuja was arrested by the police in 2018 and tried on a four-count charge of rape and culpable homicide. He denied these charges in court and pleaded that he was not guilty. However, a state high court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, on April 21, 2022, discharged and acquitted Andrew of the charges. The judge had opined that the prosecution failed to prove its four counts against Andrew.
He also said, “It is regrettable that the deceased could not tell her story before she died,” despite being presented with video evidence of the victim narrating her ordeal.
Ochanya had reiterated in the video shortly before she died that she was abused by both father and son.
“When I was eight years old, the son started sleeping with me, and when his sister caught him, she reported him to their father, and the father scolded him. From there, the father also started sleeping with me, and I told my mother; that is why we brought this case here. I want my health back.”
In a separate case at the Federal High Court in Makurdi, on the same day, the court convicted Ochanya’s aunt, Felicia, for negligence and failing in her duties to protect the deceased.
The Court of Appeal later upheld her conviction, confirming that she had failed in her duty to protect the child. She was sentenced to five months in prison.
In 2019, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) filed a civil suit against Felicia for her negligence. However, Victor was on the run while all this was going on.
What is next?
The story has been trending again with the hashtag #JusticeForOchanya, with social media posts, petitions, and advocacy groups bringing the case back into public attention. Many Nigerians are outraged at the perceived failure of the justice system: a child victim, long delays, acquittals, and a key suspect still free.
Nigerian feminists like Obidi Ojochide have been at the forefront of making sure the late Ochanya Ogbanje gets justice. Online social change platforms have also shown their support. A petition on Change.org titled “Justice for Ochanya,” calling for authorities to reopen the case and bring the missing suspects to book, already has over 1000 signatures as of the time of this article. Also, a GoFundMe fundraiser campaign has been created to support renewed advocacy for Ochanya’s case.
As the seventh anniversary of her death is marked, the reopening of her case is a call to action for stronger enforcement of child protection and abuse laws, specialized legal structures for sexual offenses, and public systems that hold guardians accountable.
Victor has remained at large since being declared wanted by police in 2018.
Please sign the petition here.