Israel Umoh
“My sister’s organs were intact during autopsy,” Ifiok Ephraim Umoren, frankly confessed to journalists to debunk any allegation of organs harvesting.
Ifiok from Nung Ita, Ikot Essien in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of the state is the eldest sister of Iniubong Umoren who was gruesomely murdered by UduakAbasi Frank Akpan from Nung Ikot Ufok Village in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Iniubong, the 26-year-old Philosophy Graduate of University of Uyo, was chopped to death by her unsuspecting assailant, UduakAbasi on April 29, 2021 at his father’s residence.
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However, UduakAbasi who was arraigned before Àkwa Ibom State High Court, Uyo on charge no: HU/87C/2021 and found guilty of rape and murder was sentenced to death on August 4, 2022.
Ifiok who addressed a press conference on Saturday, May 10, 2025 in Uyo was reacting to allegation of organs harvesting levelled by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi West in an audio video chat with a US-based activist and media personality, Dr. Sandra C. Duru against the Nigerian Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio said to have used the organs to save the life of his sick wife, Ekaette Unoma then.
Ifiok flanked by Mr. Friday Johnson Itim, the state Director of Public Prosecution and Mr. Samuel Abdullah, the State Coordinator of Legal Aid Council, lawyer to UduakAbasi, was sober with shaky voice in her speech borne out of grief.
“How can someone tell me 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 queried.
According to her, “Iniubong phoned her that she had gone to Uruan to attend interview for employment. Before then, I had gone to work. She sent me the telephone number of the person who invited her for the interview. After few minutes, we chatted briefly.
Later in the day, her friend in Lagos called me if I had heard from her. I said ‘no’ she told me that she heard her screams on the background and that I should find out what had happened to her. I called her, but her phone was switched off. And I became apprehensive.
”I took the phone number and verified the owner. I posted my sister’s and the suspect’s pictures on the Facebook.
”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 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 University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo for autopsy. Two policemen and I were room and witnessed the autopsy. All organs in her body were complete. On May 18, 2021, she was buried,” Ifiok narrated to journalists.
“Throughout the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the murderer, UduakAbasi never mentioned Akpabio. How can a Senator who did not witness the incident accused Akpabio as the person who harvested the organs of my sister?” Ifiok riled.
Responding to a question if she will prosecute the accuser over the false information, she answered “We are considering the option.”
Corroborating Ifiok’s story, Mr. Friday Johnson Itim the state Director of Public Prosecution said UduakAbasi singlehandedly tied her neck, killed Iniubong over her refusal to allow him had raw sex, an action that infuriated him to have murdered her without any assistance from anybody.
Itim said Iniubong was killed by UduakAbasi on the pretext of giving her employment.
According to him, ”the murderer who preyed on Iniubong to offer a job later demanded to have raw sex with her, though she wanted him to use condom.
”The incident,” he explained, ”led to struggle and argument, and subsequent assault in which UduakAbasi hit her head and abdomen with an electric stabilizer. And she died.
”After killing her, the murderer dragged her alone into a shallow grave he dug, buried her and used leaves to cover the grave.
”Before her death, she had called and informed her sister of her whereabouts and had sent the interviewer’s phone number to her in case of any happening.
”The murderer who fled to Calabar was tricked to return home on the pretext that his aged father, a retired Federal Government staffer, was eventually arrested.
”When he returned, the then Uruan Local Government Chairman who is their relation summoned UduakAbasi and found out from him that he had killed the girl. The Chairman had no other option than to surrender the murderer to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for arrest, investigation, detention and arraignment in court.”
”The prosecution,” the lawyer said, ”called 10 witnesses. At the end, UduakAbasi was convicted. It is, therefore, outrageous and a lie for anybody to infer or conclude that Senator Godswill Akpabio had a hand in the murder of the girl talk less of harvesting her organs.
“I want to call on appropriate authority in the country to prosecute Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for raising false alarm and information.”
Similarly, Samuel Abdullah who defended UduakAbasi joined in condemning Natasha’s allegation of organs harvesting, and dismissed it as a lie, saying that the person who alleged should be held responsible for the offence.
“Throughout the prosecution and conviction, the prosecutor and defender never mentioned organ harvesting against Akpabio. The prosecution file is in public domain for anybody to assess. We should not assume the issue,” he noted.
The Lawyer stated that a pathologist carried out autopsy of the deceased and the certified true copy of the report is in public domain, describing the allegation of organs harvesting as false and baseless.
Part of Autopsy Report
Recall that on November 16, 2021, the court presided by Justice Bassey Nkanang under post mortem heard the evidence adduced by Dr. Emeka Nwafor, Senior Consultant Pathologist in the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo on the alleged murder of Miss Umoren.
“My Lord, I performed a post mortem examination on a body identified as Iniubong Umoren and these are my findings: ”The body was a moderate decomposing body of a young female African origin. The body was muzzled and swollen. She wore an earring on the right ear, no earring on the left ear. The two eyes collapsed and bulged out of the surface. The lips were swollen and mouth open,’’ Nwafor admitted.
According to him, ”By openings, all the organs were in abnormal and anatomic positions. There was excessive milk colour fluid on the thoracic cavity.
”All the internal organs were in advantage stage of decomposition. On the brain, there was moderate bleeding beneath the scalp, no skull fracture. The brain was completely decomposed.”
