‘Lost Her Mum At 17…Raped, Murdered At 23’ — Sad Story Of Slain UNILORIN Undergraduate

Omowunmi Blessing Olajide was reportedly killed in her apartment in Tanke, a satellite town in Ilorin, Kwara State, where she resided with her aunty who is a doctor.

Olajide, who would have turned 24 this month, was a student of Agriculture Science Department of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).

The learning institution is less than three kilometers away from Tanke — off campus, where the deceased resided.

On June 2, the deceased was found dead in her home, “with her mouth gagged with clothes, her hands tied to the back, bruises on her private part and a piece of paper on her chest containing a message: ‘Unilorin doesn’t forgive”, the state’s police command had said in a statement.

The President of UNILORIN’s Student Union Government (SUG), Taofik Waliu Opeyemi, told THE WHISTLER that the reason for Olajide’s murder remains a mystery to the university community. 

Opeyemi, who had just been sworn-in to the position, could not authoritatively speak on the incident but noted that it was the first time the university was recording such. 

Asked if cultists could be responsible for Olajide’s death, Opeyemi said, “We have never recorded any issue of cult organization or cultism on campus before. So, this is something that is novel”. 

Opeyemi, was as curious as many Nigerians, who described Olajide’s person and tried to understand what could have possibly incited her murder. 

He was mindful of revealing unverified information.

THE WHISTLER reached out to one of the earliest sources of the report on Twitter, @Olustar01. 

The poster had narrated the incident and appeared to have a close relationship with the deceased. He spoke highly of her and lamented her death.

He preferred to be identified as Emmanuel, and gave no further details about himself nor agreed to divulge his relationship with Olajide.

He narrated how the deceased had lost her mom five years ago and was left to care for her siblings.

“She’s been living in the house where she was murdered since her 100 level days. She lived with a woman (doctor), her aunt, who some presumed to be her mother at Tanke.

“Blessing is a cool, loyal, humble lady. A lover of God and an energetic lady. She hails from oke-opin ekiti local government of kwara state. We are from the same hometown. Our houses are not far from each other.

“Well I believe the note on her was nothing but a distraction. Absolutely nothing could have transpired between herself and occultic members,” Emmanuel said.

He said Olajide was responsible for her upkeep and that of her siblings with the help of her aunty whom she stayed with. 

“Her father is an okada rider in the small city. Although her dad is alive, you know how some men are?” he added.

Emmanuel disclosed that Olajide was the eldest of her six siblings, with two from her stepmom. 

He said, “Most of her younger sisters are waiting for her to finish her education before they can even think of going to school.  Their mother died 13th August, 2014.

“She’ll be 24 this month,” he said.

Emmanuel could not find the exact words to clearly express his grief over the loss of Olajide. The struggle for survival of a vibrant and strong young lady was abruptly cut short. 

Although the dead have no voice, Emmanuel said, “I know for sure that if she had a last wish, it will be seeing her sisters fulfilling the great heights they have once discussed with her, which we shared.

“We can help Blessing live her dream. We can make the dream live! Your great and little contributions will make this happen”.

Meanwhile, the hashtag #JusticeforBlessing has continued to gain momentum on the macro blogging app, Twitter, where many Nigerians including the state government had criticised the spate of Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the country.

Opeyemi hopes that the police force will swing into action and ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly act were brought to book and security is beefed up around the school community, but the management of the school has remained mum.

In 2021 alone, three significant reports of violence against women were reported in parts of the country. 

In May, job-seeking Iniobong Umoren, 26, was murdered and reportedly buried in a shallow grave in Akwa Ibom State, by one Uduak Frank Akpan.

Shortly after, Blessing Otunla’s unclad body, 24, was found in a ditch in Iddo village, Abuja. 

The graduate of English from the University of Abuja, had travelled from Ibadan, Oyo State, to collect her Bachelor’s degree certificate when she was murdered. 

The circumstances surrounding her death still remain a mystery.