Akwa Ibom police arrest man for allegedly raping, killing 24-yr-old job seeker

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested one Uduak Frank Akpan for allegedly raping, killing and burying a 24-year-old applicant, Iniubong Umoren.

The decessed was said to have gone missing on Thursday, April 29, after she responded to a job vacancy at an undisclosed location along the Airport Road axis of Uyo, the state capital, and that was the last time her family heard from her.

According to a relation of Iniubong who spoke to Ripples Nigeria on Sunday, she had left home on the day she got missing quite early to meet up with the purported interview, only for her to make a frantic phone call to her brother a few hours later which indicated that all was not well.

“She was heard screaming on the phone, saying they wanted to kill her. Shortly after, the phone went dead and all attempts to get her on phone proved abortive as her line was switched off,” the relative said.

The story of the missing girl was then spread widely on social media with her friends and family asking anyone with information about her location to inform the police with the view to finding her and unmasking her abductors.

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“It was through the spread of the story on social media that tech experts managed to provide evidence, locations, contacts and almost everything needed to unmask her kidnapper who turned out to be Uduak, a native of Idu Uruan in Uruan local government area and the matter was reported to the police,” the deceased’s relative said.

“He had apparently abducted Iniubong and took her to his house where he raped her.

“From what he told the police when he was arrested, when he tried to rape her again, she put up a resistance and he used an object to hit her on the head several times which led to her death.

“After killing her, he buried her in a shallow grave and fled to Oron to hide.

“But following pressure from the police and Nigerians on social media, Oron became uncomfortable for him and he ran back to Uruan.

“The Chairman of Uruan LGA, Surv. Iniobong Ekpeyong who was informed of Uduak’s crime by the police, invited Uduak’s cousin and asked him to bring the accused to him.

“When he was taken before the Chairman, he was asked to open up on what actually transpired and he confessed to his crimes.

“The Chairman invited the DPO of Uruan Police Division who arrested the suspect and took him to Uyo where he was handed over to the State Police Command.”

The state police spokesman, DSP Odiko MacDon, who confirmed the arrest of Akpan to Ripples Nigeria, said it was too early to make a statement as investigations have just begun.

“Yes, we have arrested the suspect and investigations have begun in earnest. But it is too early to make any statement now as he was arrested only yesterday (Saturday).

“But what I can confirm is that he is in our custody and the Commissioner of Police, CP Amiengheme Andrew, has ordered that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough investigation and prosecution. Once we conclude our investigations, I will make a comprehensive statement”, he said.

By Isaac Dachen

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