The Nigerian Senate has taken a significant step toward securing justice for the late Ochanya Ogbanje, a 13-year-old schoolgirl whose tragic death in 2018 drew widespread national outrage over allegations of prolonged sexual abuse.
During the plenary on tWednesday, the Senate chamber received a crucial petition brought forward by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central).
The petition, filed by Inibehe Effiong Chambers on behalf of the Ogbanje family, called for urgent legislative intervention to re-open the stalled case.
The petition sought the immediate arrest and prosecution of the fleeing prime suspect, Victor Ogbuja, and urged the Benue State Government to officially challenge the judgment that discharged and acquitted the suspect’s father, Andrew Ogbuja.
The petition recounted harrowing details of how Ochanya, who had lived with the Ogbuja family in Benue State since the age of five, suffered repeated rape allegedly perpetrated by both father and son. Her health deteriorated due to severe complications from the abuse, leading to her death on October 17, 2018.
Despite public outcry, the petition accused the Nigeria Police Force of failing to rearrest Victor Ogbuja, who absconded after the scandal broke. It also criticizes the Benue State Government for its refusal to appeal the High Court ruling that freed Andrew Ogbuja on grounds of insufficient evidence.
Following its presentation by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senate, noting the absence of any ongoing legal proceedings on the matter, referred the petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for immediate legislative action.
The committee is now expected to review the case and recommend whether the senate should initiate a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ochanya’s abuse, death, and the failed legal redress; or compel the Benue State Government to file a long-demanded appeal against the High Court judgment.
The Senate’s move, spearheaded by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has been widely viewed as a critical opportunity to correct what many see as a grave miscarriage of justice.
The Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions is expected to invite all stakeholders including law enforcement agencies, state authorities, and the Ogbanje family to provide evidence.
With the petition now formally before the Senate, the nation waits to see whether the legislature, propelled by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s advocacy, will help deliver long-awaited justice for Ochanya, whose death remains a painful symbol of the vulnerabilities faced by children across Nigeria.
