Nigerians mourn ‘senseless deaths’ of Uwaila Omozuwa and Tina Ezekwe as government remains silent

The death of yet another youngster Vera Uwaila Omozuwa was brutally raped and attacked by yet-to-be-identified hoodlums in Benin, Edo State, has sparked an outrage on the internet.

Reports of Omozuwa’s death is coming just two days after many Nigerians took to Twitter to mourn the death of 16-year-old girl Tina Ezekwe, who was shot by a policeman trying to arrest a bus driver for violating the overnight curfew in the Iyana Oworo area of Lagos on Tuesday May 26.

On Friday, #JusticeForTina was among the top trending topics on Twitter Nigeria while #JusticeForUwa has also trended at the top spot on Sunday as Nigerians mourn and demand justice for the two young ladies.

Singer Tiwa Savage has also been leading calls for justice with the hashtag #WeAreTired.

She tweeted: “#WeAreTired of senseless killings, lorries falling on road and killing passengers, ACs catching fire and burning houses, young girls getting raped, young boys killed by SARZ, no jobs for graduates, please add your own frustration because my list is long.

“#WeAreTired of saying the same thing our parents, grandparents, great grand parents have been saying about Nigeria.”

Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi-Wellington tweeted: “I can’t post the pictures I’ve seen of Uwa. She went to church to study. She was 22. She was brutally raped and beaten. The culprits are on the run. Uwa could have been any of us.”

Singer Osayamwen Nosa Donald aka Djinee who also condemned Omozuwa’s death tweeted: “Uwa’s story breaks me. We all have to admit that our parents have failed woefully in the raising of the male child. Concentrating too much on the conduct of the female child when it’s actually the males who have the higher propensity to do evil!

“Today it is Uwa. Yesterday it was someone else. Tomorrow it might be someone we know. A friend who was gangraped in the past is living with HIV today. There is no way Uwa’s sad incident won’t bring up the fact that our women are an endangered gender. You can’t isolate crime from culture.”

Other outraged Nigerians who have taken to social media, to condemn the death and demand for justice include – Don Jazzy, Kate Henshaw, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Korede Bello, Apostle Johnson Suleman, Amnesty International, and many others.

Despite the outrage and demand for justice for the victims, the Nigerian government has maintained a deafening silence like it has done in the past. In April, despite viral reports and outrage over killings of Nigerians by security operatives enforcing lockdown order, President Muhammadu Buhari in his statewide broadcast on Monday April 13, failed to address the matter but was quick to commend the security operatives for “rising to the challenge” of the lockdown.

““The Security Agencies have risen to the challenges posed by this unprecedented situation with gallantry and I commend them,” he said.

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, however, said he has ordered the police “to thoroughly investigate the circumstances that led to the death of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa”.

The management of University of Benin in a statement by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lilian Salami, through the Public Relations Officer, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, described the news as shocking and condemnable.

Salami also urged students of the institution and all young people to be wary of the company they keep and the places they visit.