By: Agande Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen | 📰 Stone Reporter News
Amnesty International Nigeria has called on the authorities to urgently review the case of Ochanya, a 13-year-old girl who tragically died from complications of a vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) following years of sexual abuse by two male relatives.
Despite the existence of compelling evidence, including recorded video testimony from the victim and detailed medical autopsy reports confirming her cause of death, the perpetrators largely escaped justice. Ochanya’s uncle and abuser, Andrew Ogbuja, was acquitted, while his son, Victor Ogbuja, her cousin and co-abuser, remains at large. The girl’s aunt, Felicia Ogbuja, deemed complicit in the abuse, received only a five-month jail sentence for negligence.
Amnesty International condemned the case as a reflection of a broader crisis in Nigeria, where rape persists with most survivors denied justice. The organization cited pervasive corruption, stigma, victim blaming, and the consistent failure of law enforcement to investigate sexual assault cases as drivers of a culture of silence and impunity.
“The persistent failure to hold rapists accountable and provide adequate support for survivors has created an environment where hundreds of women and girls continue to suffer every year,” the organization stated.
Amnesty International urged the Nigerian authorities to ensure full accountability for all involved in Ochanya’s death and to take decisive measures to prevent further injustices against survivors of sexual abuse.
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