The trial of Uduak Frank Akpan, the alleged killer of Akwa Ibom job seeker, Iniubong Ephraim Umoren, will begin at the Akwa Ibom state Hogh Court 6 in Uyo, the state capital on Monday, July 26.
According to a statement released by the media unit of the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice signed by the information officer in the ministry, Effiong Edet, says the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Essien Udom (SAN), will be the lead counsel for the prosecution team.
Mr Akpan, who lured the 26-year-old graduate of University of Uyo (UNIUYO) with a fake job interview on April 29, killed her and buried her remains in a shallow grave in his father’s compound.
Ms Umoren was confirmed dead on April 30 and buried on Friday at her hometown, Nung Ita, Ikot Essien in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The statement added that the police investigating team had exhumed the deceased’s remains, which was buried in a shallow grave, showing her mouth gagged and the neck strangulated and squeezed, eyeballs bulging and tongue popping out, all allegedly pointing irresistibly to one direction, murder. The statement disclosed that the police had since concluded investigations and sent the case file to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which could not swing into action immediately because of the recently suspended industrial action embarked upon by Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).