Uwaila Vera Omozuwa was a young woman studying microbiology at the University of Benin in Nigeria who actually had a passion for theology. However, her life was unjustly cut short in a brutal attack.
The young woman never stopped taking theological classes at a local parish even after being admitted to university in Nigeria’s Benin city, according to her older sister Judith Omozuwa.
It was in the same church where she had been a choir member for several years where Uwaila Vera was found dead, lying half-naked in a pool of her own blood on June 3rd. Doctors gave their best efforts to save her life yet they reached no avail.
Her family has described her as a kind and intelligent woman. Judith said that Uwaila Vera aspired to be a minister and preach the word of God, with the church being her favorite place to be. She said that it was completely devastating for her sister to have been murdered at the same place where she always found peace.
According to Judith, Omozuwa would regularly visit the church on weekdays to avoid distractions at home. Omozuwa started visiting the church much more frequently after her university was one of many to be temporarily closed by authorities to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in Nigeria.
A man has since been arrested, being connected to Omozuwa’s death. Forensics have shown that she suffered a blow to the head from a fire extinguisher that was found at the scene. According to Edo Police Comman spokesman Chidi Nwabuzor, fingerprint screenings on the fire extinguisher led them to their suspect.
Omozuwa’s family has said that medics have informed them that their daughter was raped, however the police are now describing the event as “inhumane sexual assault” rather than “rape”.
As mentioned by Amnesty International Nigeria Director Osai Ojigho, rape is seen as a stigma in many Catholic Nigerian families, meaning that it is remarkable for her family to publicize the details of what happened to their daughter.
“It shows how police are unwilling to even investigate rape cases and will rather probe murder allegations. Both are heinous crimes and none should be dismissed for the other.”
Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International Nigeria Director
On the other hand, Nigeria’s police force has actually announced that it is strategizing possible ways to strengthen their response to gender-based violence in the country, stating that it has sent numerous detectives around the nation to investigate these types of cases.
Nigeria police spokesman Frank Mba said that the police is also requesting for citizens to present information that could be useful in the investigations into sexual assault and domestic violence cases.
In Nigeria, many women often face physical violence at the hands of older family members, with forms of this violence including slapping, kicking, rape, and murder. Some reasons behind this violence include husbands being drunk, having financial issues, and the woman rejecting their partner’s sexual advances.
Around 25% of women have reported experiencing sexual violence before 18, compared to 10% of boys in the same situation. It has also been shown that over 30.5% of married women have experienced at least one or more forms of physical, emotional or sexual violence in their marriage.
Omozuwa’s death has contributed to the recent spike in violence against young women in Nigeria, and the killing has transformed into a rallying cry while authorities are being called on to respond to and prevent gender-based violence.
Only days following her death, Omozuwa’s name was not the only one trending within social media activism as a teenage college student in Nigeria was allegedly raped and murdered in her home.
Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission said it was looking into Omozuwa’s death and also released a video on Twitter asking Nigerian men to resist rape thoughts.” (CNN, 2020)
The Women’s Consortium of Nigeria is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-partisan, and non-religious organization committed to helping women achieve equality, development, and peace. The link to donate to WOCON is:
https://www.womenconsortiumofnigeria.org/?q=donate3
Sources:
Adebayo, Bukola. “Student Raped and Killed in Church Wanted to Become a Minister and ‘Preach the Word of God,’ Sister Says.” CNN, Cable News Network, 5 June 2020, edition.cnn.com/2020/06/05/africa/nigeria-student-rape-family-account-as-equals-intl/index.html.
Vanguard. “Miss Uwaila Vera Omozuwa.” Vanguard News, 6 June 2020, http://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/06/miss-uwaila-vera-omozuwa/.
“GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE An Analysis of the Implications for the Nigeria For Women Project.” World Bank Documents, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank, 2019, documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/731521555064925144/pdf/Gender-Based-Violence-An-Analysis-of-the-Implications-for-the-Nigeria-for-Women-Project.pdf.
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