Public anger has reignited in Nigeria following new attention to the case of 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje, whose death after years of alleged sexual abuse has become a symbol of the country’s struggle to deliver justice for victims of gender-based violence.
The outrage follows a recent report by African digital media outlet ZikokoMag, which brought renewed scrutiny to the 2022 acquittal of Andrew Ogbuja, a lecturer at Benue State Polytechnic.
Ogbuja had been charged, along with his son; Victor, with repeatedly raping Ochanya, his niece, leading to her death. While Andrew was cleared by the court, Victor remains at large.
The Benue State High Court acquitted Ogbuja on the grounds that prosecutors failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Justice Augustine Ityonyiman cited “contradictory autopsy reports” and the “absence of a medical link” connecting Ogbuja’s DNA to the evidence submitted.
Critics, however, have condemned the ruling as a miscarriage of justice, pointing to systemic failures in how Nigerian authorities investigate and prosecute cases of sexual violence.
