Ama Okeke, an officer of the Department of Security Services (DSS), Akwa Ibom State Command, has given evidence before the State High Court sitting in Uyo regarding the murder of Iniubong Umoren, a job seeker.
The DSS officer who appeared in court as the 10th Prosecution Witness (PW10) told the court that the first accused, Uduak Akpan, stuffed the mouth of the deceased with black cloth to prevent her from shouting.
Akpan is accused of kidnapping, raping, and murdering the girl.
Okeke, who told the court that the first, second, and third accused persons made their statements voluntarily on June 3, 2021, June 11, 2021, and September 23rd, 2021 respectively, added that both the first and second accused persons were transferred to the DSS station alongside their phones used for detailed analysis.
He testified that in the course of their investigation, it was discovered that the first accused person (Uduak-Abasi Akpan) had a conversation with the late Iniubong Umoren.
He told the court, “My Lord, the first accused person (Uduak-Abasi Akpan) told our investigation team that Iniubong Umoren refused to have sex with him and struggled with him. He also told us that while the deceased was struggling with him, (and) that he observed that she sent a voice note to someone but he didn’t know who she sent the voice note to.
“The first accused person also said the deceased repeatedly asked if he wanted to kill her and that he had told her only if she would allow him to have sex with her. He also told us that even when he overpowered the deceased, she told him that she will allow him only if he used a condom.
“The first accused person also told the investigation team that in the process of having sex with the deceased, he removed the condom and the deceased started struggling with him again. He said while he was still on top of the deceased, she carried iron and hit him on the forehead.
“He said that in order not for the deceased to shout, he Uduak-Abasi, now collected a black cloth and stuffed into her mouth and tied her mouth. He said he then used a standby stabiliser and hit her in the abdomen. From that point, the first accused said the deceased started bleeding profusely. He told us that he became afraid as if she had already died.
“The first accused also said he used the Jean trousers of the deceased to strangle her completely. The first accused told us that he now stepped out of the house and went to the compound, found a space and dug a 3-feet grave, and then went back to where the body of the deceased was, dragged the body with her jean trousers tied to her neck, to the dug grave.
“He further told the investigating team that he wrapped her (deceased) body with a blanket and with her mouth still tied, and the Jeans on her neck and buried her in the grave. He further told us that the incident happened between 13:00hours and 20:00hours on the 29th of April, 2021.”
The witness told the court that the first accused further told them that after burying the deceased in the shallow grave, he now went back to where he killed Iniubong Umoren and cleaned the blood and tidied up the place so that nobody would know what happened.
Okeke further testified that in the course of their investigation and also an interview with the first accused, he told them that the second accused person, Frank Akpan, who is his father, was not around when the incident happened.
