The prime suspect in the rape and murder of Ini Umoren, the 26-year-old Akwa Ibom jobseeker, has made a u-turn and denied knowing her.
Iniubong Umoren had posted on the microblogging platform, Twitter that she was in search of a job. Her post prompted Uduak-Abasi Akpan to invite her for a job interview.
She kept her best friend updated about the development before going for the interview. While at the venue, she called her friend who later raised an alarm after she heard Umoren screaming and the deceased’s phone went dead afterwards.
Efforts to call back proved abortive as the phone was no longer reachable. Police investigations resulted in the arrest of Akpan who confessed that Ini was not his first victim.
A further investigation at the compound of the suspect revealed heaps of clothing and school materials of people suspected to have been killed in the same manner.
Ini’s remains and those of a number of other victims were exhumed from shallow graves in the suspect’s compound.
READ: Kidnapped Job-Seeker Raped, Murdered and Buried in Shallow Grave
While being led to open his defence at the Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, the state capital on Wednesday, April 6, Akpan denied knowing one Miriam Akpan and Blessing Sunday, who the prosecution had alleged were also his rape victims.
In his response to a question by his lawyer, Samson Adula, who asked him to tell the court what he knew about the charges of rape and murder of Iniubong Umoren levelled against him, Akpan said:
“My Lord, I do not know Miss Iniubong Umoren. I only came to know that name when I was served with the proceedings of this trial at the prison. For the second charge of rape, my Lord, I do not know anything about rape. I have never raped anybody.”
On the alleged rape of one Miriam Akpan and Blessing Sunday, the accused, said
“I do not know those two names. My Lord, I can say that the allegations by Miriam Akpan and Blessing Sunday were mere set-up.”
When the the prosecuting counsel, Christopher Udoh, asked Akpan if he remembered that when he was brought to court for trial on July 26, 2021, in respect of late Umoren’s case that he had pleaded guilty to the charge of murder, and ‘not guilty’ to rape, he told the court that he was feeling traumatized that very day.
He added that he pleaded guilty to the charge of murder because the Investigating Police Officer, IPO, Archibong, had asked him to plead guilty.
Akpan further told the court during cross-examination that when he visited his father, Mr. Frank Akpan (second accused person) on April 29, 2021, that both of them left the compound together.
Asked between him and his father who returned to the House first, he said
“I am not sure when my father went back to the House. I never went back to the House. My Lord, I spent the night in the house of my relative, Agnes Inyang at Osongama Estate, Uyo.”
The suspect further stated that on leaving his family compound on the 29th of April 2019, he went to see a Gregory Udofia, a landlord who wanted to his property in the city.
He added that the next day, 30th of April, 2021, he traveled to see the their accused, Anwan-Bassey Akpan, his younger sister in Calabar.
Justice Bassey Nkanang subsequently adjourned the case till April 11 and 12, 2022, for further hearing.
Read also:
Two Suspects Arrested in Connection with Disappearance of Job Seeker
Suspect in Rape and Murder of Akwa Ibom Jobseeker, Ini Umoren Denies Knowing Her