The rape and killing of Iniubong Umoren

A young lady, Iniubong Umoren, was recently  reportedly raped and killed by the person who had invited her for a job interview. Umoren, apparently one of the teeming jobless youth in the country, had reportedly solicited for a job on social media but with no particular potential employer in mind. As it turned out, a felon latched onto her somewhat desperate situation to invite her for a phoney interview for a non-existent vacancy. She honoured the invitation on April 30 and that was the last that was heard of her. Her assailant, a spurious employer of labour, did the unimaginable: he sexually assaulted,   murdered and buried her in a shallow grave to cover up his  devilish and ignoble actions. Fortunately, the victim had previously revealed the telephone number of the suspected killer to her friend and her location was switched on on her mobile phone during the incident. It is most unfortunate that Umoren was killed, but it is unlikely that her murderer will get away with the crime since she left some digital footprints.

Indeed,  one Uduak Akpan, a 20-year-old man whom  the Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Odiko MacDon, described as a ‘serial rapist’, is reportedly in police net in connection with the incident. The identification of the suspect as a serial rapist by the police raises question as to why he was  a free man at the time he allegedly committed the instant crime. It is important that people develop the habit of telling their close ones about their movement, especially in these perilous times. Iniubong’s disclosure of her itinerary to a friend must have helped the police in their investigation. Somehow, with digital imprints, it is increasingly impossible these days for criminals to escape the law after committing  sexual assault and it is hoped that the police will do what is necessary to ensure the apprehension and diligent prosecution of all the culprits. If the state does things right, it would be easy to track down criminals.

It is saddening how degenerate the society has become and how some undisciplined and wicked persons are latching onto the socioeconomic challenges of unemployment and poverty to wreak havoc on their fellow human beings. Why would anyone lie about being an employer of labour, kidnap, rape and kill an innocent young lady seeking an avenue to earn a honest living? And unfortunately, the impaired system that threw up these kinds of criminals is becoming increasingly overwhelmed and unable to protect innocent citizens against their atrocious activities. In saner climes, everything  might not be perfect but the system runs in a manner that guarantees and upholds the dignity of the human person. Pray, would an able-bodied, pretty young lady full of promise sound so desperate looking for a job on the internet if she had  not become rather helpless after an endless search for gainful employment? And if she had any alternative, would she have agreed to visit the venue of the phoney interview after discovering that it was not a public place?

In a sense, the system pushed Iniubong Umoren into the desperation that culminated in her death but sadly, only her family and loved ones have been left to bear the brunt of her irreparable loss. The system as it currently operates is badly fractured and it is in dire need of fixing. Ironically, the government that is expected to lead the vanguard for the repair of the system has a lot on its plate right now as it is being  assailed by seemingly  intractable  social, political, economic and security challenges on all fronts. Truth be told, the stench oozing from leadership failure is suffocating and the citizenry needs an urgent elixir. And one of the surest ways to achieve that is for the political leadership to rise up to its responsibilities and provide qualitative leadership that can resolve the remote causes of the myriad of challenges confronting the country.

Also, the state must always ensure that the law is applied to serve the purpose of deterrence each time it is breached. The society too which produces liars, kidnappers, rapists, murderers, extortionists and all variants of savages needs repairing. This necessarily involves citizens’ value reorientation and moral rearmament. The sheer cruelty involved in the instant case suggests the fast disappearance of humanity in the society. It is bad enough that a jobless young lady was lured with a non-existent job offer, but to kidnap, rape and kill her is the height of wickedness. This must not  be allowed to go unpunished. We urge the Akwa Ibom State government to show more than a passing interest in this case in order to ensure that all the culprits are apprehended, prosecuted and punished in accordance with the law. It can be really distressing to live in a society that condones lawlessness and where savages have a free reign.

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