The family of the late Iniubong Umoren has firmly denied allegations that her organs were harvested following her murder in April 2021.
The claim resurfaced during a recent Facebook Live session by UK-based activist Dr. Sandra Duru, popularly known as Professor Mgbeke. She alleged that suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central attempted to bribe her with ₦200 million to falsely accuse Senate President Godswill Akpabio of organ harvesting. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has since denied the accusation.
Iniubong Umoren, a 26-year-old philosophy graduate from the University of Uyo, was lured under the guise of a job interview and brutally murdered by UduakAbasi Akpan on April 29, 2021, in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. Akpan was tried in Akwa Ibom State High Court (Case No: HU/87C/2021), convicted of rape and murder, and sentenced to death by hanging on August 4, 2022.
At a press conference in Uyo on Saturday, the victim’s sister, Ifiok Umoren, refuted the claims of organ harvesting, stating that her sister’s body was intact during the autopsy and burial.
“How can someone claim my sister’s organs were harvested? I was present during the autopsy at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital—nothing was missing,” she said. “From the time we identified her body at the morgue to her burial on May 18, 2021, no part of her was removed.”
Ifiok also recalled that Iniubong had contacted her on the day of the interview and shared the location and phone number of her supposed employer before going missing. Her body was later discovered in a shallow grave behind the suspect’s family home.
The Director of Public Prosecution in Akwa Ibom, Friday Itim, who led the case against Akpan, confirmed the details of the murder, noting there was no evidence of organ harvesting or any connection to Senator Akpabio.
“The suspect killed her after she refused to have unprotected sex. He struck her with a stabiliser, buried her in a shallow grave, and fled,” Itim said. “At no point during the investigation or trial was Akpabio’s name ever mentioned.”
Defense attorney Adula Samson also dismissed the organ harvesting allegations, emphasizing that the autopsy report and full case file are publicly available. “The claims are false and not supported by any evidence from the trial or medical examination,” he stated.