The late Ms. Iniobong Umoren’s family has denied that their daughter was murdered and her organs removed.
Dr Sandra Duru, also known as Professor Mgbeke, a United Kingdom-based activist, claimed in a recent Facebook live session that suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central attempted to bribe her with N200 million to falsely accuse Senate President Godswill Akpabio of organ harvesting.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has since denied the allegations.
Umoren, a 26-year-old philosophy graduate from the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, was lured and murdered by one UduakAbasi Akpan on April 29, 2021, at his father’s home in Uruan Local Government Area of the state, under the premise of offering her a job.
Akpan was arraigned before the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo on charge HU/87C/2021, found guilty of rape and murder, and sentenced to death by hanging on August 4, 2022.
During a news conference in Uyo on Saturday, the Umoren’s sister, Ifiok Umoren, asserted that no portion of her late sister had gone missing between the autopsy and burial.
“How can someone tell me and indeed the world that my sister’s organs were harvested?
“Did the person who accused another go and harvest my sister’s organs after burial?” she asked.
Umoren recalled the incident, saying her sister had contacted her that fateful morning to say she was going to a job interview, but when she (dead) did not return home, she began a search and discovered that she had been killed.
” On May 1, 2021, the police called and asked me to send my sister’s pictures to them.
“On May 2, 2021, the police asked me to come to the mortuary for identification of my sister. On arrival, I saw her corpse and confirmed that she was the one.
” Before burial, the police took the corpse to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital for autopsy. Two policemen and I were in the room and witnessed the autopsy. All organs in her body were complete.
“On May 18, 2021, she was buried. Throughout the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the murderer, UduakAbasi never mentioned Akpabio,” Umoren added.
Also appearing, the state Director of Public Prosecution, Friday Itim, who was a prosecuting counsel in the murder case, stated that UduakAbasi killed Iniubong by striking her skull with a stabiliser because she refused to let him have raw sex.
“The murderer who preyed on Iniubong to offer a job later demanded to have raw sex with her, though she wanted him to use a condom.
The incident led to a struggle and argument and subsequent assault in which UduakAbasi hit her head and abdomen with a stabiliser, and she died”.
” After killing her, the murderer dragged her alone into a shallow grave he dug, buried her and used leaves to cover the grave,” he said.
According to Itim, the victim informed her sister of her whereabouts and the interviewer’s phone number prior to her death.
UduakAbasi, who fled to Calabar, was tricked into returning home under the guise of his father, a retired Federal Government staffer, who was eventually arrested.
‘When he returned, the then Uruan Local Government Chairman, who is their relation, summoned UduakAbasi and found out from him that he had killed the girl.
“The Chairman had no other option than to surrender the murderer to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for arrest, investigation, detention and arraignment in court.
” The prosecution called 10 witnesses. At the end, UduakAbasi was convicted.
“It is, therefore, outrageous and a lie for anybody to conclude that Senator Godswill Akpabio had a hand in the murder in the state, talk less of harvesting her organs,” he said.
In the same vein, Adula Samson, who defended UduakAbasi, noted that throughout the prosecution and conviction, the prosecutor and defender never mentioned organ harvesting.
He said, “The prosecution file is in the public domain for anybody to assess. We should not assume the issue.”
The lawyer added that a doctor carried out an autopsy of the deceased, and the certified true copy of the report is in the public domain, labelling the charge of organ harvesting as untrue and unjustified.
