Who did i offend? Mother of late Uniben student, Mrs. Joy Omozuwa kept asking as she remembers her daughter. According to her, the sight of her daughter was pathetic, bleeding from her ears and nose.
Although painful the way my daughter died, killing myself will not bring her back to life.
The Forty-nine year-old mother of five who fondly called her daughter Uwa, is calling for justice for her late daughter, Vivian Uwaila, the late UNIBEN student.
Omozuwa who spoke in Pidgin English, while explaining the agony her daughter passed through before she died and how she’s been coping with her grief.
The family house located at Ogbeide street, off NNPC Depot Fence Road, Agbor Road, in Benin, wore a mournful look, as the distraught woman narrated: “What happened to my daughter pains me, it pains me very much because I did not expect that she will die in that horrible manner.
“We left home together on that fateful day. She was very vibrant and she loved reading. She had been going to that church to read for the past five years. She’s been reading there since the Covid-19 lockdown. She said she did not want to have a carry-over in her exams, to avoid the extra expenses it will bring.
“She used to come back home early. At times, she would return around 2 pm to eat and at times, she would read till about 5 pm. More so, she had sight problem, so she didn’t keep late night out.
But she will always tell me not to panic if she did not come back home on time, that she would be fine.
“On that fateful day, a friend from my church came to visit me. While she was with me, I tried to call my daughter around 5 pm, but her number did not connect. But, when I returned after seeing-off my friend, I saw three missed calls from a friend, Mrs. Osula, on my phone.
“When I called the number, she told me to come immediately, that my daughter has been taken to the hospital.
“As I was running to the place, my husband was asking where I was running away to, I told him it was Uwa, and I kept on running.
“When I reached there, I was told the they met her in the church, her mouth was gagged with a piece of cloth, her eyes blind-folded and her hands tied to her back.
“My friend said when she untied her hands, she thought she had died. But when she saw that Uwa was moving her fingers, she realised that she was still alive, so she rushed her to a private clinic in the neighborhood.
“When I arrived at the clinic, the sight of my daughter was pathetic. She was bleeding from her ears and nose.
Her eyes were swollen with blood and a big cut on her head. They also raped her. I couldn’t stand the sight. I stepped out of the clinic.
“She wore a jean skirt with a white top that morning. The white top was soaked in blood and it turned red. I cried bitterly. I asked, who did I offend? Even if I offended anyone, I did not promise to pay for my offence with my daughter.
“The beating was so much. Fire extinguisher that was in the church was used to smash her head.
“When I finally summoned up courage, I took a bucket with water and a napkin and began cleaning her up. Her breathing was faint. She was infused to revive her. She struggled in agony at intervals.
“When my husband arrived at the clinic the following morning, he said the church where she was attacked looked like a place where a cattle was slaughter. He asked that we take her away to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) for better treatment immediately.
“On arrival at UBTH, the doctors tried. They conducted every necessary treatment methods, including oxygen, were used on her.
“I later confronted the doctor in charge, he told me frankly that the injuries were too much and she had lost so much blood. He told me that her case is a 50-50 thing, but they will do their best.
“They really tried their best, but, I lost her on Saturday.”
When asked to describe her, she said, “Uwa was not a troublesome person. She is my second daughter and she was the most gentle of my five children.
She was always reading her books. Just last week, her elder brother was jokingly asking when she will show him her boyfriend, but she responded that this was time to study and not to love, that husband will come at the appropriate time.
She had male friends, but they were not lovers.”
Also speaking on the disposition of Uwaila, Mrs. Edith Otoibhi, the Vice Principal, Gloria Group of Schools, Benin, said she taught the deceased for six years.
She said: “She (Uwaila) was my student. I taught her home economics from JSS-1 to 3 in 2008, and I taught her CRS in SS-1 to 3 at Gloria Private School. She was the best student in my subjects.
“She was very disciplined, very intelligent. You cannot beat her in any subject in the class. She came first in most of the subjects.
“She was very nice and friendly. She hardly had problems with anyone in the classroom. She was also very honest and truthful.”
