Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100-level microbiology student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Edo, has reportedly died after she was raped inside a church in the state.
It was gathered that the incident happened on May 27, inside a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) near Ikpoba Hill in Benin.
Omozuwa was said to have gone into the place of worship to read in preparation for resumption of school after spending months at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While reading in the church, she was said to have been attacked and raped after which her head was smashed with a fire extinguisher which left her unconscious.
It was reported that the student was rushed to an intensive care unit of a hospital located at Omozuwa where she eventually breathed her last.
Efforts by TheCable Lifestyle to reach Chidi Nwabuzor, spokesman for Edo state police command, for comment on the incident on Sunday morning proved abortive.
Telephone calls to his mobile number were not connecting while text message sent to him was yet to be responded to as of the time this report was filed.
The student’s death comes weeks after Jennifer, a 18-year-old girl, was allegedly gang raped by five boys reported to be her friends in Kaduna state.
The development has since been generating reactions on social media with many Nigerians calling for the arrest of Vera’s attackers using the hashtag #JusticeForUwa.
Joining the fray, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a pastor and governorship aspirant in the state under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), described the incident as “saddening”.
“I am deeply saddened to learn about Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100 level student of the department of Microbiology, UNIBEN, who was the victim of a brutal rape and murder that took place on May 27 in Benin. My deepest condolences are with her family and friends. #JusticeForUwa,” he wrote on Twitter.
Here is what some Nigerians had to say:
