The trial of Uduak Frank Akpan, alongside his father and elder sister over the gruesome murder of Iniubong Umoren, continued at the Uyo High Court, with the best friend of the deceased, Miss Uduak Joseph Umoh, giving evidence as to the third prosecution witness.
Miss Umoh, a resident of Lekki in Lagos, told the court that the late Iniubong Umoren had on 29th of April this year, told her that she was going for a job interview in Uruan Local Government Area, but that did not have transport fare.
The witness said the situation prompted her to transfer the sum of two thousand Naira to Iniubong Umoren’s bank account to enable her to pay her for the job hunt.
She said before leaving Uyo for Uruan, she had told Umoren to send her the phone number of the person she was going to meet and to put on her phone’s google map location, which she did.
Miss Umoh, who is currently serving as an NYSC member, narrated that after some time, Iniubong Umoren informed her that she has arrived at the venue of the job interview in Uruan and that she has also met the person who invited her for the job.
The witness said she was shocked to the marrow when suddenly Iniubong Umoren sent her a voice note on Whatsapp, screaming which prompted her to call Umoren on phone only to hear her screaming and the call ended abruptly.
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She said she called the number repeatedly without any response, a development which informed her to make posts on social media tagging the face of Uduak Frank Akpan, the accused person, whose picture was gotten from his Facebook page.
The witness told that the Court in the social media posts, one Miriam Akpan commented that she knew Uduak Frank Akpan and that she has also been a victim of his fake job interview in his hometown, Uruan, where he sexually assaulted her, took her nude pictures and seized her phone with support of his sister, Bassey Anwan Akpan who is the third accused person in the charge.
After giving her evidence, Miss Umoh was crossed examined and thereafter, the fourth prosecution witness and elder sister of the deceased, Miss Ifiok Umoren in her own evidence, corroborated the testimony of the third prosecution witness.
Miss Ifiok Umoren told the Court that she had reported the missing of her younger sister to the Police in Uruan, who told her to wait for 48 hours before coming back to the Station for the complaint.
She said at the expiration of the 48 hours, on 1st May 2021, she went to the Anti Kidnapping Unit of Akwa Ibom State Police Command’s Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, she was told that Uduak Frank Akpan has confessed that he killed Iniubong Umoren and buried her in a shallow grave in his residence, Uruan.
Before adjourning the matter, the presiding judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang had made a case for lawyers to take steps towards reviewing the 48 hours rule on Police investigation of missing persons, as such could save lives of missing people who are on danger.
The Court also admitted in evidence, the photograph of the exhumed body of Iniubong Umoren as an exhibit.
The case was adjourned to 16th November 2021 for the evidence of the Medical Doctor who carried out the autopsy report, Dr. Emeka Nwanfor, as well as the Investigation Police Officer, Inspector Samuel Udoh.
