How Uwa of Uniben was raped, killed

Uwa Omozuwa, the 22-year-old 100 level student of the University of Benin, was raped and killed right inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) parish on May 27, 2020, during her study hours.

According to an RCCG statement signed by spokesperson Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, “in view of the lockdown order by government, our churches had been closed to worship and other fellowships.

“However, on Wednesday, 27th May 2020, Miss Uwa Omozuwa had collected the keys to the church hall of her parish as she had been doing since the lockdown began, for use for her private educational studies.

“On the said date, when the night guard at the church resumed duties a little after 7pm, he found the lady on the floor in the church half naked and in the pool of her own blood.

“The parents and other people were alerted and she was taken to a nearby hospital from where she was transferred to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) where efforts were made to save her life.

“Unfortunately, she gave up the ghost on Saturday night.”

Omozuwa was a member of the church choir.

Her murder has sparked outrage and calls for justice on social media platforms all weekend.

The hashtags #JusticeForUwa and #WeAreTired have been trending on social media since Sunday, May 31.

The Edo state government has promised to investigate the incident and fish out the perpetrator(s).

Amnesty International has also condemned the murder while calling on the authorities to do better.

“Rising cases of rape across Nigeria is a result of the failure of law enforcement to ensure that rapists face justice. We are deeply concerned that perpetrators of rape in Nigeria invariably escape punishment. #JusticeForUwa #RapeIsACrime," the Human Rights group said.