CALLS for justice have continued to trail the rape and death of 14-year-old Keren-Happuch Akpagher, a boarding student of Premier Academy, Lugbe, in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
At a book launch held in Abuja on Wednesday, April 10, stakeholders also challenged the Nigerian government to ensure justice in the case of Ochanya Ogbanje, who was raped to death by relatives, and other victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) whose killers have yet to be apprehended to date.
Journalist and founder of the Men Against Rape Foundation in Abuja, Lemmy Ughegbe, launched the book titled “Tears from the Grave,” written in memory of Akpagher, who died in June 2021 from rape.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Press Corps, Grace Ike, who was present at the event, charged lawmakers to hasten the establishment of sexual offences courts to check issues related to SGBV in the country.
Keren-Happuch Akpagher
Keren-Happuch Akpagher’s mother received the devastating news of her daughter’s death on Saturday, June 22, 2021. She had been confirmed dead at Queen’s Hospital, Wuse, following the discovery of a condom and dead spermatozoa in her vagina.
The student’s death sparked outrage among members of the public and led to a series of protests across the FCT.
Following her death, the FCT Police Command began investigations into her rape and death.
However, her mother, Vivienne Akpagher and a Coalition for Gender-Based Violence Responders (CGBVR) had alleged that the case was being undermined by the command as an unfair advantage was being allegedly conferred on the school.
In 2022, The ICIR visited the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (FCIID)’s Gender Unit for updates on the case.
An official of the unit who spoke anonymously to The ICIR said DNA samples of suspected teachers had been taken and that investigations were ongoing into the case.
“We have taken the samples of all the teachers involved. We have visited the school itself, and we have taken statements from all those necessary, including the doctors and first responders who attended to her.
“We are awaiting the results of the DNA which will give us further directions. For now, that is where we are. The investigation report will be ready very soon,” he said.
He also noted that the FCIID Gender unit intended to take DNA samples of two male students of the school whose parents were uncooperative.
However, there has been no news of her rapist three years later.
Ochanya Ogbanje
Ochanya Ogbanje was a 13-year-old JSS 1 student of the Federal Government Girls College Gboko in Benue State at the time of her death.
She died in 2018 after being diagnosed with Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) attributed to serial rape allegedly carried out by her aunt’s husband, Andrew Ogbuja, who also worked as a university lecturer, and his son, Victor.
Ogbuja was arraigned on four counts bordering on sexually abusing the deceased during the period of five years that she lived with them.
While Ogbuja was arrested and remanded in prison during his trial, his son Victor disappeared and remained at large throughout the period.
Ochanya’s aunt, Felicia Ochiga-Ogbuja, was also arraigned before a Federal High Court in Makurdi, Benue State and in 2022, sentenced to five months in jail for negligence that led to the rape and death of the deceased.
The Federal High Court’s ruling coincided with the final judgement of the Benue State High Court, where Ogbuja was being arraigned.
While her aunt was convicted of negligence, Ogbuja was acquitted and discharged by the State High Court following a ruling that there was no evidence linking him to the rape of the deceased.
Many other girls in Nigeria have been raped in the same way by relatives, guardians, teachers or other perpetrators.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one out of four girls and one out of ten boys are victims of sexual violence in Nigeria.
Despite the high rate of sexual violence in the country, which Amnesty International described as a pandemic, conviction rates for rape cases in Nigeria have remained low.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.