A human rights group under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption in collaboration with Network of Pro bono Lawyers, on Thursday, said they have uncovered plans by top politicians in Benue State to set free, Mr. Andrew Ogbuja, who allegedly raped 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje to death.
Ochanya died in October 2018, as a result of Visico Vaginal Fistula, VVF and other complications arising from the prolonged sexual molestation by her guardian and aunt’s husband, Andrew Ogbuja, and his son, Victor Ogbuja.
Ogbuja, a senior lecturer at the department of Catering and Hotel Management at the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, is being held at the Makurdi prison over the rape of the teenager, but is about being granted bail due to political pressure on the trial Chief Magistrate, Mr. Isaac Ajim in Makurdi, the group alleged.
In a press statement issued on Thursday and made available to the Next Edition correspondent in Makurdi, the Executive Director, Coalition of Civil Society for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption, Comrade Isaac Ikpa alleged that a former minister and a senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Benue South and his aide, were behind the plots to set the suspect free.
The group particularly accused the duo of using their political connections in the state to procure bail for Ogbuja so that he can participate in the forthcoming general elections.
“We the Coalition of Civil Society for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption in collaboration with Network of Pro bono Lawyers hereby demand for the immediate prosecution of the perpetrators of the heinous crime against 13-year-old Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, whose tragic death on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 was occasioned by obvious complications arising from the prolonged sexual molestation by the husband of her guardian, Mr Andrew Ogbuja, and his son, Victor Ogbuja.
“It is also in the light of the foregoing that we urge the trial Chief Magistrates’ Court in Makurdi to rely on extant laws to do justice in the matter. This call has become imperative owing to the circumstances of the case and the alleged interest of some highly influential politicians. Until this statement, the son of Mr. Ogbuja, Victor, who is a prime suspect in this horrendous crime, is on the run.
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“According to sources, Ogbuja got out of prison shortly after his arraignment on charges of rape in August last year, basically due to his avowed connection to a powerful political force in Benue State . In as much as these allegations are unverified and largely unreliable, we are compelled to publicly demand some clarity as to the connection of one “Augustine Ochiga, a Special Assistant to Mr Moro, former Minister of Interior to the matter. Ochiga had been reported to have boasted that he would use his influence and connection to kill the case just as he had done before when Ogbuja was clandestinely released shortly after his remand in August 2018 a couple of weeks after his arraignment.
“A similar scenario of trying to set the suspect free is again playing out but this time, it is being given a veneer of legality through the manipulation of the prosecution. The shoddy and obviously negligent manner in which the Benue State Government had so far handled the litigation, particularly the ongoing bail application, set to be determined on Friday, February 8, 2019 clearly indicate that justice is about to be murdered as the case has taken a trajectory designed to serve political interests in face of it.
“We arrived at this conclusion based on a well-established fact of the accused’s connection to Mr Abba Moro’s Special Assistant,” the statement stated.
They further expressed their commitment to pursuing justice for the late Ochanya, adding that the Acting Inspector-General of police, IGP Mohammed Adamu and the Benue State Police Commissioner, Omololu Bishi must intensify efforts to arrest the fleeing Victor Ogbuja and bring him to justice.
“We remain committed to the pursuit of justice for the late Ochanya and nothing will deter us from accomplishing that task no matter what and how long it would take.
