Majority of Members of the House of Representatives Tuesday wore black to plenary in solidarity against the death of Uwa Omozuwa, Tina Ezekwe and other victims of rape and other forms of fatal attacks against women and girls in Nigeria.
The lawmakers’ attire is in compliance with their resolution last week to a motion of urgent public importance on: “The Need to Condemn the Rising Cases of Sexual Violence and Other Social Vices Against Women and Police Brutality” sponsored by Rotimi Agunsoye (APC, Lagos) that members should dress in black, at the next sitting.
While presenting the motion, Agunsoye had recalled that a few days earlier the media was awash with reports of gory cases of fatal violence against girls in Nigeria.
He said: “On Wednesday 27th May 2020, Miss Uwa Omozuwa, aged 22, a 100-level student of the University of Benin, who went to study in her Church hall, was found in a pool of her blood after being raped and harmed. She died soon afterwards.
“On the 28th May 2020, Miss Tina Ezekwe, aged 17, was shot and killed by two trigger-happy officers of the Nigerian Police Force in a most unprofessional manner, in Oworonshoki, Lagos. The Police in Jigawa State, on the 30th May 2020, arrested 11 men (including a 57-year-old man), who lured and raped a 12-year-old minor”.
The House also mounted two billboards surrounding the Speaker’s seat with bold inscriptions: “REPS SAY NO TO RAPE”.
