#JusticeforHinyUmoren: Local Government Chairman Counters Police, Denies Ties With Prime Murder Suspect
Iniobong Ekpenyong, Chairman of Uruan Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom state, has denied claims that the suspect in the murder of a job seeker who initially went missing before being found dead, Uduak Friday Akpan, confessed to him before escaping to Calabar as alleged by the police.
Akpan is a prime suspect in the murder of a 26-year-old graduate of University of Uyo, Iniubong Umoren, who he lured with a job offer only to rape, kill and bury her in a shallow grave.
Ekpenyong, in a statement on Tuesday, said the quoted portion of the press statement by Police Public Relations Office, which noted that the suspect had confessed to him was not true.
The local council boss said this not only portrays him as a partner in crime but also capable of smearing his reputation.
According to him, he first got to know about the incident on Friday, when he received a call that an elderly man in his community was arrested and detained by the police on account of a crime allegedly committed by the man’s son, who had been declared wanted by the police.
He said the person was seeking his intervention to inform the police that the detained man was in a dire medical condition and should be given access to his medication.
Ekpenyong that the police had insisted on detaining him until the absconded son identified as Akpan was produced.
The Chairman said he immediately swung into action to facilitate the arrest of the suspect and the effort paid off as the suspect who had earlier hinted that he was at a location in Oron Local Government Area was successfully arrested by Divisional Police Officer of Uruan following trails facilitated by him and other machinery put in place by the police.
He added that the suspect was still denying his role on the trending abduction story but was persuaded to turn himself in, to clear his name, if he was truly innocent.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko MacDon, mentioned that the suspect had confessed to Ekpeyong but was not handed over to the police.
The statement reads;
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested one Uduak Frank Akpan, 20 years old for kidnapping, raping and murdering one Miss Iniobong Umoren. On 30/04/2021, the Command received a report on the disappearance of the victim.
Following available leads, men of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Command, led by CSP Inengiye Igosi, consolidated on the initial great progress made by the Divisional Police Officer Uruan, SP Samuel Ezeugo and arrested the perpetrator who confessed to having lured his victim to his house in the guise of giving her a job but ended up sexually and physically assaulting her which led to her death.
To cover his tracks, he dragged and buried her in a shallow grave in his father’s compound. The deceased has been exhumed and deposited at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) for autopsy.
The suspect confessed to have told his Local Government Chairman of his atrocity before escaping to Calabar and was never at any time handed over to the police by anyone. The suspect is a confessed serial rapist who has owned up to the raping of other victims. He will be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme has called on youths and job seekers to be wary of the activities of scammers and other men of the underworld. while appreciating the efforts of the social media family and other fighters of injustice, he has condoled with the family and friends of the deceased.
