The Catholic Church in Nigeria has set machinery in motion for the beatification and canonization of 14-year-old late Vivian Uchechi Ogu from Umuelem, Eniogu in Aboh Mbiase Local Government Area of Imo state who was shot dead on November 15, 2009 by armed men for resisting their attempts to rape her after robbing her family.

If the process that started last Saturday scales through, late Vivian would become the second Saint of the Catholic Church in Nigeria after Saint Cyprian Iwene Tansi was beatified by late Pope John Paul II on 22 March 1998. Pope John Paul II is now a saint. Late Vivian Uchechi Ogu was born and bred in Benin City till her death

Last Saturday, the Catholic Church, through Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Benin, Most Rev Dr Augustin Obiora Akubeze, issued the needed edict to enhance the cause for the beatification and canonization of late Vivian. The issuance of the edict is to allow petitions for or against her activities while alive that would be further subjected to a tribunal trial before a decision for her to become a saint would be made by the leadership of the Catholic Church.

Like St Maria Gorreti, the young Italian virgin martyr who is one of the youngest canonized saints said to have died from multiple stab wounds inflicted by her attempted rapist after she refused to submit to him, Vivian Uchechi Ogu, fourteen years ago resisted attempts by a gang of armed robbers to rape her and her elder sister after robbing them, and taking them away. She was said to have been shot for insisting that she would not be defiled. She was killed in a nearby bush near her family home in Evboriaria, off Sapele road, in Benin City about some 10 km from the heart of the town.

Her early life

Born on 1st July, 1995 into a catholic family of Mr and Mrs Peter Ogu, Vivian was a student of Greater Tomorrow Secondary School, Benin City and she was the assistant prayer leader and member of several prayer warrior groups both in her school and in the church. She was said to also be a member of Joy Class, a teen Bible class and Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and an active member of the Holy Childhood Association of St. Paul Catholic Church, Airport Road, Benin, where she was the first parish president of the association. Many of her close associates described her as a light to other members of the class, as she always reached out to other children through advice and shared experiences.

How she was killed

Sunday, 15 November, 2009 began like every other day. As was her regular schedule, Vivian attended Holy Mass, followed by her Bible study. And as if fate played a fast one on Vivian, during the Bible study, she talked about her role model, St Maria Gorreti and admonished her study mates to emulate Gorreti and never to succumb to rape or any form of immorality. She told the group of young girls in her group about the values of chastity and described a woman’s worth and pride as being able to hold her virginity until marriage. In the evening of the same day, she attended her confirmation class in the church. Tragedy however struck in the night of that day.

While most Nigerians were glued to their television sets watching an international football match between Nigeria and Switzerland, a three-man armed robbery gang reportedly invaded their home, dispossessed everyone of valuables, injuring some in the process including her father and forcefully taking Vivian and her elder sister to the bush.

This time not an attempt to abduct her but to have carnal knowledge of the teenager who was a crusader of no-sex outside wedlock. As she refused the amorous threat and demand of the armed men to abuse her, the trigger happy hoodlums who were suspected to be on drugs pumped hot bullets into her stomach. She was said to have been soaked in the pool of her blood and later died before help could come.

Vivian among 25 persons selected by Pope

At a special mass to formally announce the address where members of the public can submit their petitions, Akubeze said the Pope included the late Vivian among the 25 people all over the world to begin the process of canonization and that late Vivian lived an exemplary life and died a heroic death by opting to be killed rather than being sexually defiled.

“Since her reputation for martyrdom and holiness has continued to increase since her death and after having been formally requested to open the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God, bringing it to the attention of the ecclesial community, we invite all of the faithful who can give valid testimony to come forth and contact the Archdiocesan Curia at the Chancery, No. 30, Airport Road, Benin City with their information, whether favourable or contrary to the reputation of martyrdom and holiness of the aforementioned Servant of God.”

He said members of the public should bring any “manuscripts, diaries, letters and every private writing” of Vivian they know and “those who wish to keep the originals may present an authenticated copy.” Dr Akubeze directed that the copy of the Edict be pasted on the doors of selected catholic churches and other places for the duration of two months.

He said “We thank God for making this happen in this Archdiocese, the Pope included her among the 25 people to start this course, we have done all the preliminary things that needed to be done before this edict is issued, we have done the edict today and it is going to be there for two months at the door of this church and of all the other churches and places mentioned and after two months we collect whatever inputs people give and then send to the conciliator in Rome”.

When asked what was the essence of the edict he said “When you want to make any saint, you begin to look for what the saint had done, those who appealed, those who prayed with his or her name and the prayers answered and all that, those things will be collected and they view it before they will make their final decision.”

In his opinion, the Director of Vivian Ogu Movement (VOM), Very Rev Fr. Stephen Dumbiri said, “As the entire bishops of the country have already stated, it will be of great pastoral benefit because it means that from this same Nigeria where many people see us as if we don’t have credibility, that persons like Vivian came from who could stand for the virtue and righteousness that she believed in. She will be a source of encouragement for the youths and for us Christians especially those who are going through persecution”

Also speaking, the Chancellor of the Benin Archdiocese, Very Rev Fr. Dr. Michael Oyanoafoh said “Something great and wonderful has happened today, the cause of beatification and canonization in the Catholic church, is not an easy business, it takes a lot of prayers, a lot of sacrifices, a lot of intelligence gathering, a lot of fact findings.

So the stage we have reached now is an encouraging stage, this edict is a clear signal that there is the endorsement for the continuation of all these processes that we have been doing all these while, if this stage does not come, we cannot progress, so we are so happy that we have reached this stage. By virtue of this edict, it shows that the road is now open and by the grace of God, it is going to be faster to move towards the beatification and the canonization of our little girl Vivian Ogu. This is a great challenge to us here in the Archdiocese of Benin City about our kind of moral life that we live especially this period where the society seems to have broken down morally.

“But if we can follow the life of this little girl, our life will change, our community will change, our state will change and we will begin to live a better life and we pray that with this edict that has been declared, a fruitful conclusion will come out of it”

To her father, Peter Ogu, he simply said “I thank God because He does His things His own way and at His own time, He changes history and writes reports.” (Courtesy, excluding headline, Vanguard)

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