#JusticeForUwa trends in Nigeria as a student was raped and murdered in a church

Nigerians have taken to Twitter and other social media platforms to demand justice for the murder of Uwavera Omozuwa, a 22-year-old student of the University of Benin. She was allegedly raped and attacked in church where she went to study and died three days after.

The hashtag – #JusticeForUwa – has been trending on Twitter in Nigeria since May 31, 2020.

Uwa’s family is also pleading to the authorities to find the perpetrators of this tragic incident and they are appealing to the public to help track down the killers. She wanted to be a nurse and had just started her first year in the University of Benin as a microbiology student.

Her sister, Judith, told BBC Pidgin that the deceased had been studying in the hall of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Ikpoba Hill, Benin City near her home when she was raped and struck with a fire extinguisher on her forehead. She died in the hospital last Saturday, three days after the attack.

Omozuwa often frequented the church in her neighborhood whenever she wanted somewhere quiet to read or study. Local news outlets reported that a group of men allegedly entered the church, raped her, and hit her head with the fire extinguisher.

A woman from the Redeemed Christian Church of God on Wednesday evening called the family to inform them of the attack. She was taken to the hospital after a security guard found her at the church with her skirt torn and her shirt covered in blood.

Last Tuesday, the police allegedly gunned down a 16-year-old girl, Tina Ezekwe in Lagos. The police officer was arrested but people want real justice to be served.

Nigerians took to Twitter and expressed their concern on gender-based violence with the #JusticeForUwa hashtag.