Ifiok Umoren, the elder sister of the late Iniubong Umoren, has refuted claims that her sister’s organs were harvested following her tragic death in April 2021.
Speaking during a press conference in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Ifiok described the allegation as “outrageous” and “deeply hurtful,” stating that she personally witnessed the autopsy, during which all of Iniubong’s internal organs were confirmed intact.
“How can someone claim that my sister’s organs were harvested when I was right there during the autopsy?” she said. “This accusation is not only false but dishonours the memory of my sister and retraumatizes our family.”
Iniubong, a 26-year-old Philosophy graduate of the University of Uyo, was lured with a fake job offer and killed on April 29, 2021, by Uduak Abasi Frank Akpan. He was convicted of rape and murder and sentenced to death by the Akwa Ibom State High Court on August 4, 2022.
The press conference was prompted by a viral video conversation between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and US-based activist Sandra C. Duru.
In the clip, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, harvested Iniubong’s organs to save his wife.
Flanked by Akwa Ibom State’s Director of Public Prosecution, Friday Johnson Itim, and Samuel Abdullah of the Legal Aid Council, Ifiok recounted how her sister had informed her about the job interview and how she later helped identify the suspect and assist police in their investigation.
“After her death, the police took the body for autopsy at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. I was present. No organ was missing,” she said.
Mr. Itim supported her account, stating that Iniubong was killed in a solitary act by UduakAbasi after she refused to have unprotected sex. “He killed her in anger, buried her in a shallow grave, and fled. His arrest was facilitated by his family and the local government chairman,” he said.
Abdullah also emphasised that the court never mentioned Senator Akpabio or organ harvesting throughout the trial.
“Neither prosecution nor defense ever mentioned Senator Akpabio in connection with the case. The certified autopsy report is publicly accessible and confirms that all internal organs were intact.”
The pathologist who conducted the postmortem, Dr. Emeka Nwafor, also testified under oath in 2021 that although Iniubong’s body showed signs of decomposition and trauma, there was no evidence of organ removal.
Legal experts and family members are now considering taking legal action against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over what they described as “defamatory and destabilizing misinformation.”
