“Justice for Uwa”: If you scroll through any social media platforms today, you’ll see these three words. A few days ago, it was “Justice for Tina”.
Who is Uwa? Vera Uwaila Omozuwa – Uwa – was an 100 level student of Microbiology at the University of Benin. A few days ago, she was reading inside a Redeemed Christian Church Of God parish in Edo state — not quite far from her home — when she was raped and killed.
According to reports, her attackers smashed her head with a fire extinguisher and left her unconscious around the Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City. Although she was rushed to the intensive care unit of a hospital, Uwa did not survive.
News of her death has generated outrage, with a lot of people calling for justice for Uwa:
But Uwa’s case is not the first known case of the murder of a young woman in recent time. Just a few days ago, justice for Tina was trending on social media. According to news reports, two policemen, Theophilus Otobo and Oguntoba Olamigoke, allegedly shot the teenager, Tina Ezekwe, dead around the Berger area of the state.
The death of both women has raised an alarm especially with women in Nigeria who are constantly face discrimination and violence on a daily basis. What makes it worse is that cases like these are reported, yet, no real justice is done.
In 2015, UNICEF reported that one out of four girls had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18.
As at the time of reporting this case, there have been no official statements by the spokesperson for the police in Edo State. Neither has the church released any statement. We do hope that there will be justice for Uwa and justice for Tina.
Please share this article using the hashtag #JusticeForUwa and #JusticeForTina.
