A 13-year-old girl named Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbaje who was raped by her a lecturer and his son in Benue state, has passed away.
According to philanthropist Ukan Kurugh, the young girl battled with Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) and other health complications at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, before her death yesterday.
51-year-old lecturer who is said to be the Head of Department, Catering and Hotel Management at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, Benue State, Mr. Andrew Ogbuja and his son, Victor Inalegwu Ogbuja, a final year student of Animal Production at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, consistently molested little Ochanya since she was 8.
The autopsy report has also affirmed the cause of her death to be sexual molestation of a minor, according to reports.
Ochanya, was living with the family due to her relationship to the man’s wife (Mrs. Felicia Ochiga-Ogbuja) who is her cousin before she became an object of sexual satisfaction for the father and son..
It was gathered that the girl would take ill but it was difficult for the hospitals in Ugbokolo to detect exactly what was wrong even when she collapses occasionally.
Ochanya, after serious interrogation revealed how long the molestation had been taking place and how she was threatened against her life if anyone got to know of what was happening. She explained that she was forced with drugs which made her not to be very conscious of what happened.
The situation was reported at the Police Headquarters in Makurdi and the man was arrested and the case was charged to court while Ochanya continued to struggle for her life in the hospital. At the court, the man was ordered to be remanded pending the next adjournment in September 24, 2014 when it was assumed that the son too would have been arrested and charged.
But before the adjourned date, the man walked out from the Makurdi jail where he was remanded. On the next adjournment, the lawyers to Ochanya couldn’t make it to court and the case was further adjourned to 5th November 2018.