The Academic
Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, Benue State Polytechnic chapter, Ugbokolo,
has broken the silence on the rape case hanging around the neck of one of its
member, Andrew Ogbuja.
Ogbuja, Head
of Department, Catering and Hotel Management at the Benue State Polytechnic,
Ugbokolo, Benue State, and his son, Victor Inalegwu Ogbuja, a final year
student of Animal Production at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi,
were accused of sexually molesting a 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbuje to death.
Ochanya
battled Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) and other health complications at the Benue
State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi after being allegedly severely
abused by duo.
She died
last weekend.
Speaking on
the incident for the first time, ASUP said they were not informed of the
incident before it was taken to court.
A statement
jointly signed by Comrades Ochogwu and Emma Ada chairman and Publicity
Secretaty of ASUP Benpoly, said they would not make further comment on the
issue since it is before a competent court of law.
The
statement reads:
“The union
wish to state in every clear term that no body from any quarter had any any
point in time petitioned the school or the union about the activities of the
staff in question to what he is currently in trial for.
“The union
was further handicapped in that the issue was not something between a staff and
a student or a staff and another staff with no complaint to work on, the union
could only watch as events unfold from the court.
“The
families of the staff and that of the little Ochanya kept and treated the
matter as family issue and none of them nor their relatives saw the need to
petition the school nor the union with a view to initiating an investigation
into the matter and making recommendations there of.
“The union
wish to state here that since the matter is already before a competent court of
law, making further comment on the issue will among to subjudice thus to
encourage the all concernedpersons to allow the law take its full course in
this regard.”
Comments