The Edo state Police Command has paraded six arrested suspects allegedly connected to the rape and mother of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa.
22-year-old Uwaila was a 100-level Microbiology student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), who was raped and murdered inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God parish in the Ikpoba Hills area of Benin on May 27, 2020.
Uwaila had turned the church to her reading centre until her gruesome murder by assailants who took turns to rape her, before smashing her to death with a fire extinguisher.
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The police in Edo had been on the case since the incident and finally had a breakthrough after four months of vigorous investigation.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Johnson Kokumo paraded six arrested suspects identified as Nelson Ogbebor, Akato Valentine, Mrs Tina Samuel, Mrs Mary Ade, Nosa Osabohien and Collins Ulegbe.
Breakthrough came when the police tracked Uwaila’s phone to one of the six suspects, Nosa Osabohien.
Nosa claims to be a phone repairer and narrated he bought only purchased the deceased’s phone from Collins Uyegbulen, the prime suspect.
Nosa later led the police in arresting Collins, who confessed to have been directly involved in the Uwa’s murder.
Collins confessed to personally smashing Uwa’s head with the fire extinguisher, leading to her death after the other suspects took turns to rape her.
He gave the names of the other members of his gang as Akato Valentine and Collins Ogbebor.
Why they killed Uwaila
Narrating why they raped and killed the victim, Collins told the the police that one Mary Ade paid them ₦N1m to carry out the action.
According to Collins, they later used a handkerchief she gave them to clean the blood from the private part of the deceased.
The police also arrested one Tina Samuel, for allegedly obstructing the police from arresting her son, Lucky, who is one of the suspects.
Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, reiterated that a post-mortem test conducted on late Uwaila confirmed she was raped.
“The matter was a great concern to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Muhammed Adamu who sent to us here in Benin, Homicide experts to work with our policemen at the state criminal investigation department,” he said.
“What we are seeing today, is a result of the uniting efforts of the police to get at the root of the crime and today, I announce to you and making public through this medium that the perpetrators have been arrested,” he concluded.
“The postmortem results had actually confirmed that she was raped.”
