The family of the late Miss Iniubong Umoren has debunked the allegation that their daughter was murdered and her organs harvested.
The rebuttal comes in response to the organ harvesting allegation made by the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, during an audio/video chat with United States-based activist and media personality, Dr Sandra Duru, in which she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
This accusation adds another layer to the ongoing controversy, which also includes Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, in the voice clip shared on social media, claimed that Akpabio allegedly used Umoren’s organs to save his ailing wife, Ekaette.
Iniubong Umoren, a 26-year-old graduate of philosophy from the University of Uyo, was lured and murdered by one UduakAbasi Akpan on April 29, 2021, at his father’s residence in Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, under the guise of offering her a job.
Akpan was arraigned before the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Uyo, on charge no: HU/87C/2021 and found guilty of rape and murder, and later sentenced to death by hanging on August 4, 2022.
Addressing a press conference in Uyo on Saturday, the deceased’s sister, Ifiok Umoren, expressed dismay over the allegations, insisting that no part of her late sister was missing from the time of the autopsy to the time of burial.
She asked: “How can someone tell me and indeed the world that my sister’s organs were harvested? Did the person who accused another harvest my sister’s organs after burial?”
Recalling the incident, the elder Umoren said her sister had called her that fateful morning that she was going for a job interview, but when she (deceased) failed to return home, she conducted a search and eventually discovered that she had been killed.
“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 the morgue for the 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 the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, for autopsy. Two policemen and I were in the room and witnessed the autopsy. All organs in her body were complete. On May 18, 2021, she was buried.
Throughout the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the murderer, UduakAbasi never mentioned Akpabio. How can a senator who was not a witness accuse Akpabio as the person who harvested the organs of my sister?
“I keep wondering how someone would wake up one day and start launching unsubstantiated allegations for whatever reasons best known to her against another and then tie it down to the death of my sister,” Umoren added.
The state Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Friday Itim, who was a prosecuting counsel in the murder case, said UduakAbasi single handedly killed Iniubong by hitting her head with a stabiliser over her refusal to allow him to have raw sex.
“The murderer who preyed on Iniubong to offer a job later demanded to have raw sex with her, though she wanted him to use a condom.
“The incident led to a struggle and argument, and a subsequent assault in which UduakAbasi hit her head and abdomen with a stabiliser, 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 she died, she had called and informed her sister of her whereabouts and the interviewer’s phone number 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,” he said.
Itim said upon his return, the former chairman of Uruan Local Government, who is their relation, summoned UduakAbasi and found out from him that he had killed the girl.
“The chairman had no other option but to surrender the murderer to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for arrest, investigation, detention and arraignment in court.
“The prosecution called 10 witnesses. In the end, UduakAbasi was convicted. It is, therefore, outrageous and a lie for anybody to conclude that Senator Akpabio had a hand in the murder in the state, let alone harvesting her organs.
“I want to call on appropriate authorities in the country to prosecute Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for raising false alarms and information,” he said.
Also, Adula Samson, who defended UduakAbasi countered Natasha’s allegation of organ harvesting and dismissed it as a lie.
He said 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 the public domain for anybody to assess. We should not assume the issue,” he noted.
The lawyer stated that a pathologist carried out an autopsy of the deceased, and the certified true copy of the report was in the public domain, while describing the allegation of organ harvesting as false and baseless.
Meanwhile, Duru has fired back after being accused of blackmail and media manipulation in the ongoing controversy surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio, describing the claims as false, malicious, and politically motivated.
A former special adviser to the Abia State Governor on Gender Matters and Political Empowerment, Francess Olisa-Ogbonnaya, had accused Duru of blackmail and media manipulation.
The journalist-cum-politician claimed that Duru, also known as Prof Mgbeke, was being used as a pawn to unsettle Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Speaking during a podcast hosted by a US-based journalist, Adeola Fayehun, Olisa-Ogbonnaya accused Duru of orchestrating a smear campaign against Akpoti-Uduaghan, using manipulated audio recordings, financial inducements, and a planned media offensive involving notable influencers.
“I’m from Arochukwu, and I’m even more related to Akpabio than Natasha. But this is about truth, not tribal loyalty,” she said.
According to her, Duru sent her N100,000 under the guise of Easter charity, only to later pressure her into launching public attacks against the embattled Kogi senator using an alleged voice recording that she described as inconclusive and potentially doctored.
“She called me on Easter Eve and sent me an audio, claiming Natasha had said there was no abuse. But the clip didn’t prove that.
“She asked me to go on TV and bombard Natasha, but I refused,” she said, revealing that Duru allegedly planned to distribute N13m to sway public opinion through media influencers.
Olisa-Ogbonnaya said her refusal to comply led to tension between them.
“She didn’t want a neutral voice; she wanted someone to destroy Natasha. I told her I couldn’t do that,” she stated.
Responding via her social media account, Duru lashed out at both Fayehun and Olisa-Ogbonnaya, dismissing the accusations as a failed distraction by what she called “Team LIE-TASHA.”
She claimed Olisa-Ogbonnaya had performed a subpar voiceover job for her media team and was merely reacting out of bitterness after being asked for a refund.
“She benefited from my Easter charity like many others. Her allegations are baseless.
“The audio used in the LIE-TASHA documentary was verified by forensic experts. Francess is now crying ‘clone’ because her poor work was rejected,” Duru fired back.
She denied any wrongdoing, insisting her exposés were built on “documented, defended, and determined” truths.
The PUNCH reported that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate on March 6, 2025, after flouting the Senate rules and later accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment and politically motivated suppression.
Following court orders, both parties were barred from media commentary on the issue.
Despite the gag order, tensions have continued to play out indirectly through proxies and online narratives.
Natasha recently penned a controversial “apology letter” that many interpreted as a sarcastic jab at the Senate leadership. (Punch)
