A post mortem conducted on Godwin Ikoiwak, the Akwa Ibom-born legal practitioner has led to the discovery of a rat poison in his remains, popularly called otapiapia in his remains.
Ikoiwak, 41, a state counsel in the Akwa Ibom Ministry of Justice, was recently found dead in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital under mysterious circumstances. The wife, Abasiesenga, was among those accused of being responsible for the murder.
His sister Nne Akpan Ikoiwak, at a news briefing in March 2022 in Abuja, had called on the Inspector-General of Police and Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, to help in unravelling the perpetrators of the murder.
At the commencement of the suspected murder trial of the alleged husband killer, Abasiesebianga, and seven accused persons, Dr. Emeka Nwafor, Chief Pathologist at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, UUTH, stated that post mortem performed on the late Ikoiwak at the instance of police investigating the matter on issue revealed bruises in his left eye.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness (PW1), Nwafor also disclosed the presence of organophosphate called (otapiapia in a native parlance) in the remains of Godwin Ikoiwak.
The trial Judge, Justice Bassey Nkanang of Akwa Ibom State High Court 9, Uyo ordered that all the suspects be remanded at the Ikot Ekpene Correctional Centre.
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Justice Nkanang, therefore, adjourned the case to Thursday, October 27, 2022 for continuation of trial, following a non-guilty plea by all the accused persons standing trial in the criminal prosecution.
Earlier, the court had ordered the clerk to read the charges to all the accused persons in the case which included Abasiesenga, the wife of the late Godwin Ikoiwak; her mother, Margaret Umoh, her sister, Owoidoho Umoh; Dr. Imoh Johnson, Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ekong, the Administrator of St, Luke’s Hospital, Anua as well as Dr. Isaac Njoku, the Chief Medical Director of St, Luke’s Hospital, Anua.
All the accused persons in the case pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder accessory based on the unlawful purpose and issuance of false certificate by a public officer.
Ikoiwak was said to have driven himself to St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, Uyo on suspicion of acute case of asthma and was admitted at the emergency unit, examined, treated and unfortunately died of complications arising there from and his corpse was subsequently deposited in the mortuary.
However, suspicions and further probing from his family betrayed elements of foul play allegedly carefully orchestrated by his wife, Abasiedebsnga; sister to the wife, Owoidoho Umoh; mother, Margret Umoh and others at large acted in unison to kill their son in-law and subsequently conveyed the corpse to the mortuary at St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua.
The reports further alleged that the wife and members of her family standing trial allegedly procured a false medical report from the hospital making the intentional killing to have semblance of quick and sudden onslaught of killer ailment in the mould of asthma resulting in the death of Godwin Ikoiwak.
This inkling gathered momentum as it was difficult for the personnel at St. Luke’s Hospital to present the deceased’s medical file to his family for perusal as and when he was admitted at the emergency unit of the hospital for treatment.
