Mrs. Betsy Obaseki

By Jethro lbileke

Wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has expressed discomfort with the rising spate of violence against women and children in the state since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She disclosed this Monday evening in an interview with journalists after paying a condolence visit to Mr. and Mrs. Omozuwa, over the murder of their daughter, Miss Vera Uwaila, who was allegedly gang-raped and had her head smashed with a fire extinguisher inside a church by yet-to-be identified persons.

She called for urgent end to violence against women and children in the state.

“Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have recorded a sharp rise in domestic and sexual violence against women and children in our society.

“A few days ago, we lost a promising young female student of the University of Benin, Uwaila Omozuwa, to the hand of rapists.

“As mothers in the land, we are raising our voices in anger, and we are saying enough of this madness. Stop this violence now,” she said.

Narrating of the Governor of Edo State, Her Excellency Betsy Obaseki has condoled with the family of late Uwaila Omozuwa who was allegedly raped when she went to study in a church at Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City the Edo state capital.

Earlier, Mr. Omozuwa narrating the agony his daughter went through on her hospital, as a result of injuries inflicted on her by her assailants.

He added that “tears kept pouring from her eyes while she was in a coma for four days, until she died.”

He described the late 100-level UNIBEN student as “a well-behaved girl who had kept her virginity the past 22 years.”

Mrs. Obaseki however assured the bereaved family that the death of the Uwaila will not be vain.

Wife of the state deputy governor, Mrs. Maryann Shaibu, the state commissioner for social development and gender, Maria Edekor and other state officials accompanied the First Lady on the condolence visit.