After pleading guilty to the rape and murder of late Iniubong Umoren, a graduate of the University of Uyo on the pretext of securing a job for her, the suspect, Uduak Frank Akpan, has denied ever knowing or meeting her.

Akpan, who recanted his earlier guilty plea on Wednesday when he appeared in court for the continuation of the murder trial, made a shocking u-turn and denied knowledge of the victim.

Akpan had initially pleaded guilty before the Akwa Ibom State High Court for the murder of Umoren whose body was exhumed from his father’s residence in Uruan local government area of the state.

While giving evidence on a two count charge of murder and rape levelled against him, Akpan claimed he only got to know about the name “Iniubong Umoren” when he was served with the proceedings of the trial while in Prison custody.

"My Lord, I do not know Miss Iniubong Umoren. I only came to know that name when I was served with the proceedings of this trial at the Prison.

"For the second charge of rape, my Lord, I do not know anything about rape. I have never raped anybody in my life,” he said.

When the judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang, asked why he pleaded guilty when the charges was read to him during his initial arraignment before the first trial judge, Justice Bennett Ilaumoh, in July, 2021, Akpan said he had fever on that day he pleaded guilty and his plea was also influenced by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO).

“My Lord, I pleaded guilty because I had fever on that day and my IPO’s influence in the Court,” he said.

After hearing the evidence, Justice Nkanang ordered that the suspect alongside his father, Frank Akpan, who is the second accused person, and his sister, the third accused, be remanded in the Uyo Correctional Centre till the next adjourned date on Monday, April 11, 2022.