Ini Umoren Murder Case: Friend, Elder Sister Testify In Court

The Ini Umoren murder case continued as the deceased’s best friend, Miss Uduak Umoh and sister, Ifiok Umoren testified at the ongoing trial of Uduak Akpan, the suspected killer.

Akpan, a 20-year old undergraduate, is standing trial alongside his father, Frank Akpan, and elder sister, Anwan Bassey Akpan, over the gruesome murder of Iniubong whom he was said to have lured, raped, and killed under the guise of offering her a job.

Testifying before Justice Bassey Nkanang at the state High Court on Tuesday, Umoh disclosed to the court that her late friend had on April 29, 2021, told her that she was going for a job interview in Uruan Local Government Area, but that she did not have the transport fare to make it to her destination.

She said she transferred the sum of N2,000 as fare to the supposed venue of the interview and that she advised her friend to send the name and the phone number of the individual she was going to meet and put the details on Google map on her phone which she did.

The witness informed the court that she was in communication with her friend up until the time she arrived at the venue but was shocked when Umoren suddenly sent a voice note to her, yelling and the call ended abruptly.

Umoh further informed the court that at that point she became agitated and started to call her friend’s line but it was not answered.

She noted that she quickly made a post on social media, tagging the face of Uduak Akpan, the accused, whose picture she got from Facebook.

Umoh mentioned that as soon as she made the post, one Miriam Akpan made a comment that she was a victim of a scam job interview offered by the accused, Uduak Akpan.

Miriam accused Akpan of raping her, taking her nude pictures, and seizing her smartphone aided by his sister who is the third accused in the case.

After giving her evidence, Umoh was crossed-examined and thereafter, the fourth prosecution witness and elder sister of the deceased, Ifiok Umoren in her own evidence, corroborated the testimony of the third prosecution witness.

Ifiok told the court that when she received the news, she made an official report to the Uruan Divisional Police headquarters but was informed to return after 48 hours.

She said after 48 hours, on May 1, 2021, she went to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of Akwa Ibom State Police Command’s Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, and was told that Uduak Frank Akpan has confessed that he killed Umoren and buried her in a shallow grave in his residence, Uruan.

The trial judge, before adjourning the matter, charged lawyers to advocate for the review of the 48-hour-rule on the police investigation of missing persons as it could save the lives of missing people who are in danger.

The court also admitted in evidence, the photograph of the exhumed body of Iniubong Umoren as an exhibit, and the case was adjourned till Thursday (tomorrow) to take the evidence of the pathologist.