An elder sister to the Iniuobong Umoren, the lady who was alleged to have been a victim of organ harvesting by Senator Godswill Akpabio, has spoken up, describing the allegations leveled against the Senate President by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as fasle and misleading.
Ms Ifiok Umoren revealed that her sister’s organs were intact after an autopsy was conducted to ascertain the cause of death and dispelled allegations of any tempering.
Recall that, after her suspension from the Senate for unwholesome behaviour, including a breach of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had variously accused the Senate President of sexual harassment and organ harvesting, claims that were later discovered to be false and probably an attempt to get back at the Senate President.
Iniubong Umoren from Ifiok, Nung Ita, Ikot Essien in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State
was gruesomely murdered by Uduak Abasi Frank Akpan from Nung Ikot Ufok Village in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
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.
However, Uduak Abasi 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 4 August, 2022.
In a press conference on Saturday, May 10, 2025 in Uyo, Ms. Ifiok Umoren debunked the 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 who is said to have used the organs to save the life of his sick wife, Unoma Ekaette as twisted falsehood.
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.
“Let it be known that my sister’s organs were intact during autopsy. Anybody pushing a different narrative is only hurting our feelings as a family. We need closure and it’s our hope that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and all the paid hands hired to execute this smear campaign Wil find another obsession and leave us alone”, she stated.
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 and on May 1, 2021, the police called and asked me to send my sister’s pictures to them. This was followed by the identification of the corpse in the Morgue on the May 2nd, 2021.
”Before the burial, the corpse was deposited at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo for autopsy. Two policemen and I were inside the room and witnessed the autopsy. All organs in her body were complete. She was subsequently buried on May 18, 2021. How could anybody bring up the issue of organ harvesting, was it done after the burial?”, she queried.
“Interestingly, throughout the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the murderer, UduakAbasi never mentioned Akpabio. How can a Senator who was not a witness accuse Akpabio of harvesting my sister’s organs?
Corroborating Ifiok’s story, Mr. Friday Johnson Itim the state Director of Public Prosecutionb said, “UduakAbasi singlehandedly tied her neck and 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”.
”The incident,” he explained, ”led to struggle and argument, and subsequent assault in which Uduak Abasi hit her head and abdomen with a stabilizer, leading to her death.
”After killing her, the murderer dragged her alone into a shallow grave he dug, buried her and used leaves to cover the grave. The murderer who later fled to Calabar was tricked to return home on the pretext that his aged father, a retired federal civil servant, was eventually arrested.
”Uduak Abasi was finally convicted after the prosecution called 10 witnesses. It is, therefore, outrageous and a lie for anybody to infer or conclude that Senator Godswill Akpabio had a hand in the murder talk less of harvesting her organs. This is deceitful and we demand the prosecution of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for raising a false alarm”