killing of Akwa Ibom job seeker sad, time to establish unemployment register —Minister

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has described the killing of a job seeker, Iniobong Umoren, in Akwa Ibom State, as very sad, adding that it was time the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari established national unemployment register for the youth.

Dare said this in his Twitter handle on Monday: “I am saddened to hear of how @HinyHumoren met her untimely death in the hands of such evil perpetrators. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I must also commend @UmohUduak1 for everything she did in trying to find her friend alive. May her soul rest in peace.

“I commend many of our youth and other Nigerians who did massive and coordinated retweets that tracked her attacker. This is the time for government to establish a youth based national unemployment register which will lead to unemployment benefits. I intend to lead in this direction. This data can be part of the National Social Register already in place.”

The young graduate was murdered by a fake employer, one 20-year-old Uduak Frank Akpan, who lured Umoren to his residence under the pretext of offering her a job before he raped, killed and buried her.

The victim had gone missing while attending a job interview in Akwa Ibom on Thursday. She had earlier tweeted via her handle, @HinyHumoren, that she needed a job and some persons had suggested prospective employers to her.

But @UmohUduak1, who identified as the job seeker’s friend, raised the alarm on Thursday that her friend was nowhere to be found.

Her cries for help attracted the Nigerian Twitter community which called on security agencies to find the victim. The hashtag, #FindHinnyHumoren, trended for days on Twitter.

But the Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Sunday said it arrested Akpan in connection to the disappearance of the job seeker, adding that Akpan, a serial rapist, also confessed to have kidnapped, sexually violated, killed and subsequently buried the victim to cover up his atrocities.

“The deceased has been exhumed and deposited at UUTH (University Of Uyo Teaching Hospital) for autopsy.”

The statement further said, “Suspect is a confessed serial rapist who has owned up to the raping of other victims. He will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation,” Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Odiko Macdon, said in a statement.