Nigerians are demanding a nationally televised court trial of Uduak Frank Akpan, a prime suspect in the abduction and murder of slain Akwa Ibom job-seeker, Iniubong Umoren.
A petition on change.org has been created to this effect. The petition was started by Faith Ogochukwu to the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Ministry of Justice.
The petition details read, “This is a collective demand for public, televised trial of the suspected rapist and murderer Uduak Frank Akpan, his father, his cousin, girlfriend and whoever has been alleged to be involved in the luring, kidnapping, rape and eventual murder of Iniubong Umoren.
“The kidnap, rape and gruesome murder of Iniubong Umoren is a matter of public and in fact National interest, one that must not be handled Umoren’s story had surfaced online last Thursday when her friend, Umoh Uduak, raised an alarm on Twitter that she had been unable to reach her friend, who was invited to the outskirts of Uyo for a job interview.
The 26-year-old graduate of the University of Uyo had dropped a tweet on her handle last Tuesday seeking a job and got many replies in that regard.
She wrote, “#AkwaIbomTwitter please I’m really in need of a job, something to do to keep mind and soul together while contributing dutifully to the organisation. My location is Uyo, I’m creative, really good at thinking critically and most importantly a fast learner. CV available on request.”
There are allegations that Akpan belongs to a syndicate and probably has the backing of influential people.
Many Nigerians have expressed fear that the course of justice might be truncated in the case of Iniubong’s murder, but the state government has vowed to ensure justice for the deceased.