Angry reactions from the family of late Iniubong Umoren, a graduate of University of Uyo (UNIUYO), who was lured, raped and killed through a social media bait for non-existing job in Nnung Ikono Obio village in Uruan local government area of Akwa Ibom State in 2022, have reacted to the recent allegation that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, masterminded the gruesome murder of the deceased.
In the ongoing sexual harassment allegation levelled against the Senate President by the Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, her close confident, Prof. Mgbeke Duru, had revealed via viral video, that Senator Natasha, had confided in her, that Akpabio arranged the killing of Miss Umoren, for kidney harvesting, which was used to replace the damaged kidney of his (Akpabio’s) wife, Ekaette Unoma.
But fighting back tears during a joint press conference in Uyo, the state capital, the elder sister to the deceased, Lady Ifiok Umoren, dismissed the allegation as wild, embarrassing, unfounded and baseless gimmick with evil intention to malign the Senate President and his office.
She recalled that her sister, upon graduation from the UNIUYO, was in search of a stop-gap job, while waiting to be mobilised for the mandatory one-year NYSC scheme, when she met the unfortunate incident that cost her life.
Regretting why her soul should not be allowed to rest, Lady Umoren, disclosed that “after waiting for her sister to return from the job – hunt to no avail, she took the matter before the Police, who asked her to wait and return the next day when she could not see or hear from her missing sister.
Two days after, according to her, she (Lady Ifiok) returned to the Police, but was shocked to be taken to the mortuary where the lifeless remains of her sister lay.
“I was asked to identify my sister. I checked from head to toe, none of her body parts were missing. I was also present when the autopsy was conducted in the presence of the doctor and two policemen, all her body parts were intact. Even on May 2nd that year, when we brought her remains for burial, nothing happened to any of her body parts.
“It’s outrageous for someone to relive this sad chapter of our family for pecuniary reasons. Senator Godswill Akpabio, never had any involvement in the death of my sister, talkless of harvesting her organ. This is what we want the whole world to know,” she exclaimed.
Maintaining that the family is still nursing the pains of her sister’s sad exit from the world in her prime, Lady Umoren, said only true justice of executing the prime culprit, Uduak Frank Akpan, who was sentenced to death by hanging, would assuage and comfort the family.
She, therefore, appealed to Governor Umo Eno, to sign the death warrant for the execution of the convict, who lured her sister for non existing job, only to forcefully rape and kill her for refusing to be allowed to sleep with her without condom.
Corroborating her, the prosecutor, Mr. Friday Itim, and the state coordinator, Legal Aid Council, Barr. Adula Samson, who facilitated the defense of the convict, recalled that the convicted Akpan, acted alone, in the murder of the deceased.
They stated that the convicted Akpan, had after luring the deceased to the isolated compound in Nnung Ikono Obio village, resorted to threatening to kill her unless she submitted for his sexual craving.
“At that point, the late Iniubong, begged that if she must do it, he must use condom,” Itim explained, adding that It was after he removed the condom midway, being under the influence of drugs, that scuffle broke out between them, leading to the rapist using electric stabiliser to hit her on the head and abdomen and she died instantly.
Her remains, the prosecutor explained, were later dragged with a pair of jeans trousers to a shallow grave, hurriedly dug, where he buried the body and covered it with leaves.
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