By Godwin Akor, Makurdi
The Federal High Court, Makurdi Division, has dismissed the no case submission application” filed by Mrs Felicia Ogbuja who is standing trial over her inaction against the sexual molestation and rape of late thirteen year old girl, Ochanya Ogbanje, by her husband Mr Andrew Ogbuja and son, Victor.
In the ruling, Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon, stated that the NAPTIP prosecuting counsel, Ja’afaru Ayitogo, led substantial evidence to compel the defendant to enter her defence over the two charges against her.
The Federal High Court Judge accordingly dismissed Mrs Ogbuja’s application for lacking in merit and adjourned the case to July 27 for the defendant to open her defence.
She is to defend before the court why she failed to take action against the sexual molestation of late Ochanya by her husband and son and for harboring the victim from 2014 till her death in 2018 t which according to the prosecution, is contrary to Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
Our correspondent gathered that the prosecution counsel has closed his case by calling six witnesses, including a vonsultant pathologist, Dr Babarinde Ojo, of the Department of Histopathology, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
Mrs Felicia Ogbuja who was arraigned by NAPTIP and remanded by the court last year was later granted bail with a sum of two million Naira, while several attempts for the bail of her husband at a state High court proved abortive since his arraignment in November 2018 with his son Victor Ogbuja, who was said to be a final year university student, still at large.
