A 26-year-old graduate of Philosophy, Ini-Obong Umoren became yet another statistic of kidnapping, rape and murder even though the Nigeria Police Force had the opportunity to save her.
Former Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed previously made claims of reform within the police force. However there is no evidence of this as policing standards appear to be at an all time low.
#FindHinyHumoren
On 29 April, Umoren’s friend, Umoh Uduak raised the alarm on Twitter over her friend’s sudden disappearance. She announced that Umoren was in trouble, seeking help from all quarters. The search began and the hashtag #FindHinyUmoren was trending.
After being informed about the situation, the Nigeria Police Akwa Ibom State Command told the Umoren family to return after 24 hours.
According to Uduak, they were both job seekers. This is the reason Umoren went in search of work whilst their final year results are still being processed by their university.
Umoren informed her friend and forwarded the details of the person who invited her for an interview. She also posted on Twitter that she was searching for a job.
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While complaining to Uduak about the distance of the interview, Umoren admitted that she was short of money for transport. Uduak promptly sent funds to her friend.
According to an interview granted by Uduak, Umoren sent her a voice note. This prompted her to call back, thinking that Umoren had either run out of call credit or data. On calling her back, Uduak heard Umoren screaming but the killers hung up the phone. Uduak immediately took to Twitter, while her relative reported to the Police.
The Police had enough information about the kidnapper – Uduak Frank Akpan – and his location. Yet they delayed urgent action. To make matters worse, Uduak claims that the Umoren family even had to pay money to fuel the police van. On arrival at the location, Umoren was already dead.
Justice For Umoren
Tech-savvy social media analysts gave the lead that Akpan is a serial kidnapper, rapist, and murderer. It was later revealed that the 20-year-old rapist was not alone in the business. He inherited the ‘trade’ from his father, who had also trained his sisters in the business.
They lure girls to rape and sometimes kill them. In some cases, body parts are removed before being buried in a shallow grave.
On finding the grave where Umoren was buried, her corpse was exhumed for an autopsy. The Police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom stated in typical fashion, “We are on top of the situation, and the culprit will be brought to book.”
Nigeria failed Umoren
This case highlights a shamefully ineffective policing system. It defies logic that even with all the information at their disposal, the police were dismal at performing the duty they swore an oath to.
Thus it appears that the reforms claimed by the police force are non-existent. Umoren had given all the information needed to act fast, but they failed to protect the life of a young adult graduate who committed no crime in trying to get a job.
There is a popular saying in Nigeria that ‘Police is your friend’. That slogan did not quite manifest in this case.
Akpan, and his father have been arrested. Nigerians will want to see the case to a logical conclusion.
According to those living around the area, many have gone missing over the years. Will the culprits be brought to book? Will that be possible with this present Nigerian Police Force? These are questions on the minds of many Nigerians, who are commiserating with Umoren family.
Only time will tell, but the people are hopeful that this will not be swept under the carpet, as has been the case on several other occasions.
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