While America and a greater part of the world have been submerged in an aggressive online and offline protest against racism, the Nigerian narrative have also had the internet on fire over one of the most gruesome, appalling and horrendous malefactions to be committed against any person in God's green earth. Rape and murder.
Nigerians have had their social media timelines become an inferno of reactions, comments and protests sparked by the horrific rape and murder of 22-year-old Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a microbiology student of the University of Benin. A hideous act of misdeed that took place at one of the Reedemed Christian Church of God branch in Benin city, a church where Uwa worshipped with her parents until her tragic demise.
News report had it that Uwa (as popularly called by friends and family) had left home on Wednesday May 27 for the church to read just like she had been doing before and ever since the initiation of the lockdown order in the country for very obvious reasons only to have her paths cross with that of the miscreants that had a wicked and violent nonconsensual carnal knowledge of her and sent her to her early grave.
These men with nothing but evil intentions didn't just stop at raping her, they went ahead to attack her with a fire extinguisher making her sustain serious injuries. Three days later, Uwa died in a hospital and the news of her death have given the Nigerian social media space an offline gist communities a shock they are yet to recover from.
The news of Uwa's death was received by numerous reactions from Nigerians calling out to the appropriate law enforcement agencies to swing into action and make sure the culprits were made to face the law.
One of the first of these effects was the trending of the hashtag #JusticeForUwa on social media. A trend of had numerous of Nigerian top celebrities condemning the totality of rape as a crime, calling out for justice for the deceased, and also sympathizing with the family of the victim.
Sooner than later, Nigerians got a reassuring message from the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu who through his spokesperson, Frank Mba issued a statement on Monday vowing "that the force will surely bring the perpetrators of the callous act to book in the shortest possible time.”
The IG also begged Nigerians to remain calm even though it was difficult to due to the extreme emotions Uwa's death evoked.
The statement also informed the public that the IG had drafted investigation aids and forensic support to Edo state all in an effort to ensure the Uwa's killers were stripped of their present anonymity and made to face the punishment for rape and murder as provided by the Constitution.
Yesterday, a report that confirmed progress in the tracking and arresting of Uwa's killers surfaced on the internet. Nigerians were given yet another reason to believe the police were actually doing something when news came that one of the suspects was identified, tracked and arrested.
The development was made known to the eager public through a statement from the spokesman of Edo Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor.
Nwabuzor claimed the suspect was identfied through the fingerprints that were left on the fire extinguisher which is the murder weapon that was used against Uwa.
A lot of Nigerians including myself are hoping and praying that Uwa's case doesn't get swept under the carpet like others that were before now and until this moment, the Nigerian Police Force have been doing the opposite.
Almost all hopes have been on the competence of the NPF despite the recent happenings like police brutality and killing of innocent civilians by trigger happy policemen that have created a bad image of the force.
The Nigerian Police Force sure has its own weakness and the public is clearly aware of that but no matter what, Uwa's murderers must be brought to book and the NPF must give it their best shot and nothing else.
After putting up this post, I'll join the rest of Nigerians on the internet in tracking the latest development of this story and others. For judging wether or not the NPF is equal to the task of solving Uwa's rape and murder and also the other numerous rape cases that have been troubling the internet lately, I will try not to.
Rape and murder are crimes and Uwa deserves justice even in death. It will surely come because it's the only thing we can hope for at a time like this.
Uwa will get justice.
I hope
I believe
I know.
May your soul find rest, Uwa.
© Ifiokobong Etuk
(KING of the QUILL)
Kingofthequill.blogspot.com
For those of you that justify rape, don't come near this post else, the social media principle of Tiger generator will be your portion.
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