Family of slain Akwa Ibom jobseeker refutes organ harvesting allegations
By Jeffrey Agbo
The family of late Iniubong Umoren has dismissed recent claims suggesting her organs were harvested following her tragic death.
Umoren, a 26-year-old philosophy graduate from the University of Uyo, was brutally murdered on April 29, 2021, after being lured under the pretense of a job interview by UduakAbasi Akpan in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.
Akpan was later found guilty of rape and murder by the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Uyo (Charge No: HU/87C/2021) and sentenced to death by hanging on August 4, 2022.
The family’s response follows a controversial allegation by UK-based activist Dr. Sandra Duru, known online as Professor Mgbeke. In a Facebook live session, she claimed that suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was offered ₦200 million to falsely implicate Senate President Godswill Akpabio in an organ harvesting conspiracy related to Umoren’s death. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since denied the claim.
During a press briefing in Uyo on Saturday, Iniubong’s sister, Ifiok Umoren, firmly rejected any suggestion of organ harvesting.
“How can someone tell me and indeed the world that my sister’s organs were harvested?
“Did the person who accused another went and harvested my sister’s organs after burial?” She asked.
Recounting the events, Ifiok recalled how her sister informed her on the morning of April 29, 2021, that she was attending a job interview. After Iniubong failed to return, the family launched a search that led to the discovery of her murder.
She said, “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 morgue 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.”
Also speaking at the briefing, Friday Itim, Director of Public Prosecution and lead counsel in the murder case, detailed how Akpan killed Umoren after she refused to engage in unprotected sex with him.
He added that before her death, Iniubong had shared her location and the suspect’s phone number with her sister.
Akpan was later arrested after being tricked into returning home from Calabar, following an appeal from his father. The then-chairman of Uruan Local Government, a relative, confronted him and turned him over to police.
Ten witnesses were called during the prosecution, leading to Akpan’s conviction.
Itim said: “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.”
Adula Samson, Akpan’s defense lawyer, also confirmed that no such allegations were raised during the trial.
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