PHOTO: Nigerian student Uwa Vera who was found dead.
A young Nigerian student who was identified as Uwa Vera was found dead after being sexually assaulted. Social media has since been stormed by many Nigerians demanding for justice for the young Nigerian.
Since it is still unclear who raped and killed her, the hashtag #JusticeForUwa has continued to trend in Nigeria, with the young Nigerian’s family appealing for help to track down her killers.
Judith Omozuwa who is Vera’s sister, confirmed that her sister who had been studying in a “quiet” church in Benin City was raped and she died on Saturday three days after the incident took place. Her family speaking to media outlets, revealed that they received a call from a woman at the Redeemed Christian Church of God on Wednesday evening after she was already assaulted. Vera was taken to hospital after a security guard found her skirt torn and her shirt covered in blood.
According to Ufuoma Akpobi, part of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence network in Edo state, Uwa had studied at the church for the past three years because there’s no public library in the area. “She goes in the morning and comes back between 5.30 and 6. Her mum tried to reach her but the phone was off. Then the mother got a call from the assistant pastor’s wife saying she found Uwa in a pool of blood.”
The University of Benin, where Uwa studied, said the “shocking” crime “should not be condoned by any society”.
The young lady had only just been admitted to the University of Benin to study microbiology. Other unconfirmed reports by the local Nigerian media said a group of men had entered the church, raping Uwa Vera and hitting her with a fire extinguisher.
On Twitter and other social media platforms, many Nigerians have expressed concerns about the government’s failure to tackle gender-based violence and questioned whether parents were bringing up boys properly.
