A Lecturer of the Department of Catering and Hotel Management Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, Andrew Ogbuja, has been arraigned at the Upper Area Court One in Makurdi, Benue, for Criminal Conspiracy and Rape of a 13-year-old housemaid, Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbaje.
The court, on, Monday, remanded the 51-year-old senior lecturer in prison custody. The accused lecturer was alleged to have had carnal knowledge of Elizabeth while she lived in his house.
The prosecution had told the court that on August 8, 2018, at about 12:00 noon, the body of women lawyers (FIDA) in Benue State had in the company of one Mrs Rose Abah of Ogene Amadu Edumoga reported the matter to the police.
The First Information Report (FIR), indicated that the complainant, Mrs Abah told the police that sometimes in February 2018, when her daughter, Elizabeth, was sick and admitted at FMC Makurdi, she told her that, when she was staying with her cousin sister, Felicia Ogbuja, between 2013 and 2015, the son of the same cousin sister by name Victor Ogbuja, had carnal knowledge of her.
The court further heard that the husband to the cousin sister, Andrew Ogbuja, also had carnal knowledge of the teenager and that during the police investigation, the said accused, Andrew was arrested for committing the offence while his son, Victor, is at large.
But, the accused who was arrested last Friday pleaded with the judge to temper justice with mercy and grant him bail to enable him to go back home and resolve the matter amicably considering his status.
The accused who spoke through his counsel, David Ojile, equally promised to take full responsibility for the treatment of the victim, hence it is a family affair but the judge, Justice S. D. Kwen rejected the plea.
He sent the lecturer to Makurdi Federal Prison pending the determination of the matter. No pleas were however taken at the mention of the case because the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter. The case has been adjourned to September 24.
