…victim buried amid tears
Uduak Akpan, the suspected killer of 26-year-old Akwa Ibom jobseeker, Iniubong Umoren, has confessed that he had lured and raped six ladies on the pretext of offering them employment.
Akpan made the revelation on Friday when he was paraded alongside his father by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme.
Umoren, a graduate of Philosophy from the University of Uyo, was lured and reportedly killed by Akpan who later buried her in a shallow grave in his father’s compound.
The late Umoren left her house on Thursday, April 29, 2021, for a phoney job interview orchestrated by Akpan before she was allegedly killed by the suspect.
Akpan on Friday confessed that he tricked the deceased to his village in Nnung Ikono Ufio, Uruan Local Government Area of the state, saying that had done the same thing to six other ladies but claimed he did not kill them.
He said as he was about to make love with Umoren when she became violent and started beating him.
Akpan, a 200 level student of Public Administration, Obong University, a private institution in Akwa Ibom State, said he hit her with a stabiliser in self-defence, adding that he wouldn’t mind if justice took its full course on him
He said, “What happened was that she came for the supposed job interview. I decided to use reverse psychology on her. I told her whether she could work as a secretary on a farm where hard drugs are kept. She said that she could. When she came I told her the farm was just a hoax.
“I told her that before we could even start, I would like to have sex with her and she agreed but she gave a condition that I should use a condom which I agreed. While I removed the condom she became furious and picked a stabiliser to hit me on my head. She bit my left ring finger.
“While I was bleeding, in a bid to stop her, I used the stabiliser to hit her. She fell and died thereafter. I have raped six girls under the guise of giving them jobs. I am not happy about what has happened.”
His father, Frank Akpan, a retired civil servant, denied knowledge of the crime until he was invited by the police.
Asked to comment on the kind of justice he expects in the case, Frank said, “I’m not happy about what my child has done. I don’t even believe this can happen to me after I had sent him to school and tried to bring him up. Justice can be done if the system permits.”
The Commissioner of Police, Andrew, said he decided to parade the suspect to debunk the rumour that he had committed suicide while in police custody
He gave the assurance that the police would ensure that justice was not only done but seen to have been done, adding that the police would not cover up any crime in the state no matter who was involved.
Meanwhile, tears flowed on Friday as hundreds of sympathisers attended the burial of the late Umoren, raining curses on her alleged killers.
At the funeral service held at the Faith Tabernacle, Ikot Ibritam district, Umoren’s friends took turns to pay tributes, calling on God to avenge the death of the jobseeker.
Not even the downpour could deter the sympathisers, most of whom were the deceased’s friends from the University of Uyo.
At the lying-in-state, Umoren’s family and friends wept uncontrollably, describing her demise as a great loss.
Her elder sister, Iffy Ephraimite described her as a best friend and confidant who was hard working, honest and outspoken.
She said, “Iniubong and I had a cordial relationship as sisters. It’s painful that she was cut in her prime. I feel bad that she has to go on this day. She knows how to fix things. She was a good coordinator and a strategist. I pray God will give Iniobong justice.”
A few days ago, the University of Uyo released her final examination results as a second class upper graduate of Philosophy with a Cumulative Grade Points Average of 4.12.
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