At
22 with life ahead of her, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa a first year Microbiology
student of the University of Benin, the only
daughter of her parents sadly had her life brutally cut short.
It
beggars belief that there are mean spirited people out there bold enough to
commit heinous crimes in the house of God.
A place where she most certainly had
no fear of. A place where she had regularly gone to read for the past three
years, a supposedly" safe haven" because there is no library nearby
as stated by Ufuoma Akpobi of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender
Based violence Network in Edo state.
To be murdered in a place she obviously
found peace and tranquility, the sacrilege has enraged the nation. Everyone is
calling for justice.
What
did Uwa do wrong that she would not only be raped, but brutally murdered with a
fire extinguisher to the head. Because we cannot find answers yet, the only
plausible explanation is because she is a young vulnerable girl, taken on by
some heartless criminals.
The
mood all over Nigeria at the moment is anger which is trending on social media
as #justiceforuwa. This has led to pressure groups, women, celebrities and well
meaning Nigerians and elders like former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Bola Ahmed Tinubu calling for a review on
laws concerning rape and justice, while Apostle Johnson Suleiman has pledged
One million naira as a reward to anyone who can apprehend the killers. More
donors would be even more encouraging because this great initiative serves as
an incentive to get people give the killers up.
The
cry for justice all over Nigeria should sound as loud as the cry in America for
racial equality after the murder of George Floyd. Women and children should not
live in fear whether at home or in public, just like African Americans should
feel safe when stopped by the police. Rape victims in Nigeria or Africa should
get justice and not be blamed for any reason at all. They should be given the
support deserved by all the relevant authorities.
Our
communities must be taught how to give proper support to victims and not shame
them. Our Police force needs restructuring and retraining on how to deal with
sensitive issues like rape.
Young boys should be tutored on respecting girls
and women when they say no, and young girls should be encouraged to speak out
when they have been violated. The death of Uwa, and George Floyd should bring
about permanent change as the world is calling for now.
Our
thoughts are with every victim and their families.
0 Comments