Benue High Court Frees Lecturer Who Was Accused Of Raping Late 13-Year-Old Ochanya Ogbanje

On Thursday in Makurdi, Benue State High Court discharged and acquites Andrew Ogbuja, a lecturer of one of the state’s polytechnic, who was accused of raping a 13-year-old schoolgirl, Ochanya Ogbanje, in 2018, which led to her death.

The presiding judge dismissed all four count charges which bordered on criminal conspiracy and rape and murder of Ochanya.

This judgement comes more than three years after Benue State government, on October 10, 2019, arraigned 54-year-old Andrew Ogbuja before the Makurdi High Court.

Meanwhile, another court in Benue State sentenced the wife of the lecturer, Felicia Ogbuja to five months in prison because of her negligence.

The judge, Mr Ityonyiman, said the police investigators failed to subject the defendant to medical examination in order to match his specimen with the findings in the medical reports which they presented.

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The judge said when he was evaluating the evidence, the two autopsy reports from the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi and the Nigerian Police Forensic Laboratory In Lagos, left him with noting to do.

“I was not able to choose which autopsy reports to make conclusion on the case – Mr Ityonyiman said

He explained that the autopsy report from the Medical Centre in Makurdi said Miss Ogbanje died of “natural cause,” while the one from the Police forensic Laboratory said the deceased suffered diseases which relates to sexual abuse.

Afta his statement, he said that he will be discharging and acquiting Andrew Agbuja.