Do you remember Uwaila Vera Omozuwa? The 100 level Microbiology student of the University of Benin, who was brutally raped and murdered inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG in Edo State in May?
The Edo State Command of the Nigerian Police recently arrested the suspected killers and paraded them in Benin City, Edo state capital.
One of the suspects, Collins Uligbe, confessed to have been paid one million Naira to kill the victim. He used a handkerchief received from his landlady, Mrs. Mary Ade to wipe Uwaila’s vagina and blood and returned it to Ade who ordered the hit.
However, Mary Ade denied the allegation, saying she neither gave him the money nor asked him to wipe the lady’s private part.
Uligbe’s accomplices are Nelson Ogbebor, Tina Samuel, another lady, Valentine Akato and Nosa Osabohien.
He claimed that Nelson hit the victim with a 2×4 plank and when she tried to stand up he hit her with the fire extinguisher in the church.
How Police Tracked the Suspects
The Police in Edo state had sprung to action after government ordered it to fish out the killers. Police tracked the suspects through one Osabohien Nosakhare, a phone repairer who bought the victim’s phone for N17, 000.
“I bought a phone from Collins on May 27th. Osaro came to my workplace at Agbor Park; we bargained and he sold the phone for N17, 000 to me. The next week I was tracked and arrested,” Nosakhare confessed.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo said, “What we are seeing today, is a result of the uniting efforts of the police to get at the root of the crime and today, I announce to you and making public through this medium that the perpetrators have been arrested”.
Kokumo said the postmortem results confirmed that Miss Vera Uwaila was actually raped.
Recall that Uwaila was said to have gone to a church to read when the suspects went into the church, raped and inflicted fatal injury on her that eventually led to her death later in the hospital.
Rampant Sexual Violence
Omozuwa’s death had sparked outrage across Nigeria, which had become notorious for sexual violence. President Mohammadu Buhari then ordered the Police to fish out the killers, which explain the seriousness Police gave to the case.
Data on the number of reported cases of sexual violence is very limited but a national survey on violence against children in Nigeria; conducted in 2014, found that one in four women had experienced sexual violence in childhood.
Approximately 70% reported more than one incident. Only 5% sought help, and only 3.5% received any services.
Women and activists in Nigeria have in recent years demanded greater action against sexual violence. Yet reported crimes come up against the systemic failings of Nigeria’s criminal justice system, which rarely prosecutes cases.
Police have already been criticized for their response to Uwa’s murder. Evidence at the scene remained uncollected for days after the crime, activists alleged.
Priscilla Usiobaifo, who works to combat gender violence with the BraveHeart Initiative in Edo state, said it was common for police officers in Nigeria to not collect evidence or even visit crime scenes, undermining the chances of a successful prosecution.
