The family of the late 13-year-old schoolgirl, Ochanya Ogbanje, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over the alleged refusal of the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute Victor Ogbuja, the son of a Benue State Polytechnic lecturer, Andrew Ogbuja, accused of repeatedly raping the teenager until she died in 2018.
The petition, dated November 3, 2025, and signed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong on behalf of the family, was received at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on November 4, 2025.
The petition described the continued inaction of the police as “a grievous act of injustice” and a “dangerous precedent that emboldens sexual predators.”
According to the petition, the police have refused to arrest Victor seven years after he fled Ugbokolo in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, where the crime was committed.
Both Victor and his father, Mr. Andrew Ogbuja, were accused of sexually assaulting Ochanya, who later died on October 17, 2018, from health complications attributed to years of abuse.
The petition, titled “Refusal to Arrest and Prosecute Victor Ogbuja Over the Gruesome Rape to Death of 13-Year-Old Ochanya Ogbanje After Seven Years,” stated that Ochanya, who was a student of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Gboko, suffered repeated sexual assaults while living with the Ogbuja family.
It recounted that the child was taken at age five from her rural community in Ogene-Amejo to live with Mrs. Felicia Ogbuja, a maternal relative, so she could attend school.
However, she was allegedly subjected to continuous rape by Andrew and Victor, leading to severe medical complications.
A medical report from the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, confirmed that Ochanya suffered from “faecal and urinary incontinence, which was initially mild and progressively worsened” before her death on October 17, 2018.
In 2022, the Federal High Court in Makurdi convicted Mrs. Felicia Ogbuja for neglecting her duty of care and sentenced her to five months’ imprisonment, a decision later upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Justice Mobolaji O. Olajuwon, in her judgment, held that Mrs. Ogbuja’s failure to act after learning of the abuse contributed to the harm Ochanya suffered.
Her husband, Andrew Ogbuja, however, was discharged and acquitted by the Benue State High Court in 2022 after the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
The petition also detailed how the Ogbuja family had allegedly bullied and threatened Ochanya’s mother and surviving relatives, accusing them of being responsible for Victor’s disappearance and Mrs. Ogbuja’s conviction.
Ochanya’s family demanded, “We urge the Inspector General of Police to declare the fleeing suspect Victor Ogbuja wanted, put him on the watchlist and launch a manhunt to arrest him. He is believed to be living in Lagos.
“We request the Inspector General of Police to recall the case file from Benue State Police Command to the Force Headquarters under the supervision of the Inspector General of Police for further investigation.
“We seek police protection for the family members of the late Ochanya due to persistent and enduring threats from the Ogbujas, who are relatively influential and politically connected.”
The petition argued that Victor is believed to be hiding in Lagos and that the police’s inaction has given the impression that “the law in Nigeria does not apply equally to the rich and the poor.”
The petition urged the police to redeem their image and restore public confidence.
“The failure to arrest Victor Ogbuja portrays Nigeria in the eyes of the international community as a lawless country where the rights of vulnerable people are trampled upon by the powerful,” the petition stated.
“The Nigeria Police Force now has an opportunity to assert itself as the nation’s foremost law enforcement agency by ensuring justice for Ochanya.”
The family attached certified true copies of the court judgments from both the Federal and State High Courts in Makurdi as supporting evidence for their demands.
“It is our considered view that the seemingly outright refusal of the Nigeria Police to apprehend Victor Ogbuja for prosecution has occasioned a grievous act of injustice not only to the late Ochanya, but also patently poses a danger to innocent girls and women unaware of his predatory habit and antecedents,” the petition read.
“Furthermore, the failure to arrest Victor Ogbuja portrays Nigeria in the eyes of the international community as a lawless country where the rights of vulnerable people are trampled upon at will by powerful people and the elite.
“In light of the renewed calls by Nigerians both at home and abroad, the Nigeria Police Force has an opportunity not only to redeem its image in this case but to assert itself as Nigeria’s foremost law enforcement agency.”
