Ochanya’s memory has sparked a powerful act of solidarity as award-winning actress and filmmaker Stephanie Linus uploaded her 2014 film Dry to YouTube.
The move, she said, honours the late Ochanya Ogbanje — the 13-year-old girl whose death in 2018 from health complications linked to years of sexual abuse has reignited national outrage. The #JusticeForOchanya campaign has been revived on social media, with many Nigerians demanding accountability after her accused abuser, Andrew Ogbuja, was acquitted, while his son Victor remains at large.
In an emotional Instagram post, Stephanie Linus announced that Dry would now be freely available to the public as a memorial to Ochanya and countless victims of child abuse and sexual violence.
“This film stands as a reminder: we must protect our children, strengthen our systems, and end the silence that allows abuse to continue,” she wrote. “Let’s make sure Ochanya’s story and every story like hers leads to change. Let this not just be a movie, let it be a movement.”
Dry tells the heart-wrenching story of Halima, a 13-year-old girl forced into marriage with a 60-year-old man. The film follows her ordeal through rape, pregnancy, and the trauma of Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) — a preventable childbirth injury that leaves victims stigmatised and abandoned.
Stephanie Linus urged Nigerians to watch and share the film to raise awareness about child protection and the need to end the culture of silence around abuse.
