The police in Delta State have arrested a popular Asaba-based content creator, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, popularly known as “Odogwu of Asaba,” over allegations that he raped a 20-year-old woman who later died by suicide after recording an emotional video accusing him of the assault.
The suspect was arrested following a petition alleging that the woman travelled from Warri to Asaba after he invited her under the pretext of helping and mentoring her in content creation.
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In a statement sent to this newspaper on Wednesday, the police spokesman in the state, Bright Edafe, said the woman later died after ingesting a toxic substance despite efforts to save her.
Police said investigations are ongoing.
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Emotional final message
In a tearful video shared with this newspaper by Mr Edafe, the visibly emotional woman, who identified herself simply as Favour from Warri, opened the recording with a chilling message.
“Everyone here. My name is Favour from Warri. This will be the last video of me in the whole world you’ll be seeing. By the time you see this video, I will already be dead, and the cause of my death is Odogwu Asaba.”
She described the suspect as a well-known content creator who lived in a hotel where he also operated a boutique.
Recounting how they met, she said she had reached out to him online while seeking financial help because she was facing personal challenges.
“This video is dedicated to him. As of Friday, two weeks ago — today is 14 July — was when the incident happened. I met him online and told him I had some challenges and needed money to solve them.”
She explained that she deliberately sought his advice after another man wanted to have sex with her first before he could help her with money.
“I told him I know of a man from Asaba but based in Abuja, and that the man wanted to have intercourse with me, but I couldn’t go… I needed someone to talk to because I don’t have any friends.”
According to her, the content creator discouraged her from travelling to Abuja but instead invited her to Asaba.
“He (content creator) asked me to meet him in Asaba on Friday, that he was going to help me. He did not tell me that he was going to sleep with me before helping me.”
Journey to Asaba
The woman said she travelled without informing her parents, adding that only her twin sister knew she was going to Asaba, and that she gave her the suspect’s phone number and name.
She explained that she no longer had screenshots of her conversations with the suspect because she had activated WhatsApp’s 24-hour disappearing messages feature.
“He did not engage in any conversations with me on sex that I would now say, okay, I’m going there.”
She said the suspect sent her transport fare and later took her from his shop to a car wash before proceeding to the hotel.
“I didn’t have it in mind that he would demand sex because he is a popular person and would not try rubbish because people would drag him online. That is where my mistakes came from.”
According to her, the suspect later expressed his desire to have sex with her.
“We went inside, and he started saying stuff that he likes me and would like to have sex with me.”
Police arrest
The police said the woman travelled to Asaba on 1 June after the suspect allegedly offered to train her in content creation through a programme promoted on his social media platforms.
The police alleged that upon her arrival, the suspect took her to a hotel where he raped and physically assaulted her before she returned home and disclosed the incident to her parents.
The command said she later recorded the video narrating her ordeal before taking her own life by ingesting a toxic substance.
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Following a petition, the Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, directed the Area Commander in Effurun to commence an immediate investigation, which led to the suspect’s arrest.
According to the police, the suspect “made useful statements” during preliminary interrogation, while investigators continue efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the case.
‘A very terrible mistake’
Another video shared by the police appears to show the handcuffed suspect speaking to two people believed to be the deceased’s parents inside what appears to be a police facility.
In the footage, he struck a table with his handcuffed hands and said: “This is a very terrible mistake.”
The commissioner of police assured the deceased’s family and members of the public that the allegations would be thoroughly investigated and that no aspect of the case would be overlooked.
