14th June, 2022
By Jethro Ibileke
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has expressed disappointment with the Nigeria Police over its inability to investigate and prosecute killers of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, two years after she was gruesomely murdered.
The Governor expressed the disappointment on Tuesday in Benin, while declaring open the End of Project Workshop’ for the National Academy for Science, with the theme: “Strengthening the Evidence and Response Pathways for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in key states in Nigeria.”
The 22-year-old 100-level Microbiology student of University of Benin (UNIBEN), was murdered in June, 2020, inside a church in Benin City, where she went to read.
Obaseki noted that delayed justice for victims has become a hindrance for the fight against gender-based violence in the state.
According to him, “Two years after Uwaila Omozuwa was brutally murdered in Benin City, we have still not been able to prosecute the perpetrators of this dastardly act. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) insisted that this case should be moved to headquarters.
“As we speak, the investigation is stalling. This is really, really sad and we will not be able to make progress in our fight against gender-based violence if we can’t get reports from the very highest authorities in Nigeria.
“With the interest that President Muhammadu Buhari has shown in the fight against GBV crimes in Nigeria, it is quite disappointing that the police has not been able to make use of this very sad incident which shocked the whole world as an example to show that they have the capacity to deal with this set of violent crimes in our society,” he decried.
The Governor however appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to ensure that his men do what they are constitutionally expected to do, to conclude investigations and prosecute the perpetrators of what he described as a painful offense.
This is even as he gave assurances that his government will sustain efforts to end all forms of sexual and gender-based violence in the State.
“If this is not done, all our efforts, all the work we have put in, till date, will come to nothing, because people will say that at the end of the day, nothing will come out of it.
“Edo State has made adequate budgetary commitments that will sustain the fight against GBV such that perpetrators will be adequately punished and survivors will get adequate care. We are putting in place the institutional arrangements, including the infrastructure to deal with GBV.
“Construction of GBV building is in full gear, at the Senator Daisy Danjuma Centre, and I am very confident that before the end of this year that building will be completed with all the required amenities.
“Discussions are on with international partners to see how we can get support to manage these infrastructures and institutions that we have put in place under a sustainable basis,” he added.
Earlier in her welcome speech, the Chairperson of Edo State GBV Management Committee, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki also expressed reservation about the delay in the investigation and possible prosecution of killer’s of Vera Uwaila.
The Edo State First Lady disclosed that her Committee will not tolerate any gender-based violence, irrespective of sex and personality of anyone involved.
She stressed that the Committee will invoke all relevant laws of the land to make such crime a thing of the past in our society.