Politics

Court remands Odogwu Asaba over alleged rape, death of 20-year-old

A State High Court in Delta State has remanded content creator Ifeanyi Ogbonna, popularly known as Odogwu Asaba, over the alleged rape and death of 20-year-old Favour Agbro, following the release of autopsy and toxicology results to investigators.

A State High Court in Delta State has remanded a content creator, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, popularly known as Odogwu Asaba, at the Ogwashi-Uku Maximum Correctional Centre over the alleged rape and death of 20-year-old Favour Agbro.

According to Punch, Awele Ideal, counsel for the deceased’s family, disclosed the development in a Friday statement, saying the autopsy and toxicology results had been released to the police investigation team.

She said the results, alongside other evidence gathered by investigators, had been incorporated into the investigation report prepared for prosecution and trial.

“Today, the 4/9/2026, the application to remand Mr Ifeanyi Ogbonna (Odogwu Asaba) was heard and granted by the Court,” Ms Ideal said.

“He has now been remanded at the Ogwashi Uku Maximum Correctional Centre (Prison), from there he shall be brought to court until the completion of his trial, which now lies with the Ministry of Justice (AG and DPP).”

Ms Ideal said she was representing Favour’s family pro bono and would continue to provide legal and financial support to ensure the case was properly prosecuted.

“I still hold the brief of this case for late Favour’s family on a pro bono basis, rendering my legal services and financial support to ensure that no stone is left unturned,” she said.

She also pledged to keep the public informed about developments in the case, adding, “Justice is everyone’s business.”

Ossai Ovie Success, senior special assistant to the Delta State Governor on Media, also confirmed the development.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Mr Success said Mr Ogbonna had been taken to the correctional facility following the court’s decision.

The case attracted attention in July after the Delta State Police Command arrested Mr Ogbonna over allegations that he raped Ms Agbro, who later died after ingesting a toxic substance.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on 15 July that the 20-year-old had, before her death, recorded an emotional video accusing the content creator of raping her.

According to the police, Ms Agbro travelled to Asaba on 1 June after Mr Ogbonna allegedly offered to train her in monetising her TikTok and Facebook accounts through content creation.

The police said that after she arrived in Asaba, Mr Ogbonna took her to a hotel where he allegedly raped and physically assaulted her.

She subsequently returned home and disclosed the alleged incident to her parents, the police said. She later recorded a video recounting her experience and emotional distress before ingesting a toxic substance and dying despite efforts to save her.

In the video reported by PREMIUM TIMES, Ms Agbro identified herself as Favour from Warri and accused Mr Ogbonna of being responsible for her death. She said she had contacted him online while seeking financial assistance and that he subsequently invited her to Asaba, saying he would help her.

The police said the arrest followed a petition by the deceased’s family. The then Delta State Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, directed the Area Command in Effurun to investigate the allegations.

The police subsequently said Mr Ogbonna made “useful statements” during preliminary interrogation and assured the family that the allegations would be thoroughly investigated.

The development comes days after Mr Ogbonna’s wife publicly defended him against the rape allegation.

In a video shared on the content creator’s social media page in August, she said her husband had an affair with Ms Agbro but denied that he raped her.

She said she had lived with Mr Ogbonna for eight years and insisted that she believed he did not force himself on the deceased.

The wife reiterated her position in another video reported by PUNCH on 1 September, saying she remained confident that her husband would eventually be cleared of the allegation.

She said she would continue to stand by him despite public criticism.

With the court’s remand order, the matter now moves into the prosecution stage, with Mr Ogbonna expected to remain in custody and be brought before the court as proceedings continue.

Mr Ogbonna remains presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty by a court of law.