‘I Jumped Out Of Moving Car After Former Reps Member, Robinson Uwak Started Punching Me’: Ex-Secretary-Turned-Lover Alleges Kidnap Attempt, Brutal Assault
Midenda said her relationship with Uwak began in 2021 when she briefly worked as his secretary during an academic strike.
Aformer member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Hon. Robinson Uwak, has been accused of attempted kidnapping and physical assault by his former secretary, who turned his lover, Godiya Midenda.
Midenda made the allegations while speaking with SaharaReporters, where she detailed her troubling encounter with the former lawmaker in the early hours of Tuesday, April 15.
Midenda said her relationship with Uwak began in 2021 when she briefly worked as his secretary during an academic strike.
She claimed the former lawmaker expressed romantic interest in her, which she initially rejected. However, she later agreed to pursue a relationship under specific conditions.
“I have known him since 2021, when I worked as his Secretary for a while during the academic strike. Afterwards, there was an indication that he had interest in me but I was not really into him at that point but he was persistent.
“At the end of the day I told him that if we must have something to do together, I will need certain things from him. I requested an iPhone Pro, N500,000, a job and a laptop,” she said.
Midenda told SaharaReporters that Uwak declined the request, prompting her to end the relationship.
However, the two later reconnected. Despite claims of unfulfilled promises, she alleged that Uwak continued to contact her sporadically, seeking to meet monthly.
She said, “After we had the whole conversation, he said he couldn’t do all those things and I said that is fine, let us just end the whole thing. After a year, he came to where I was staying and that was how we did whatever that happened.
“Aside from that, he made a lot of promise he said he was going to keep which he didn’t end up keeping. Regardless of the fact that he didn’t give me anything, he kept on calling, demanding that we should meet once or twice a month but not frequently.
“Afterwards, he stopped having contact with me. I was confused because it was not long when we were talking and he suddenly stopped talking to me. I reached out but he didn’t say anything.”
The situation escalated on Monday night when Midenda said she saw Uwak around her residence.
Hours later, at approximately 2:00 a.m., she was awakened by persistent phone calls and knocks at her door.
A person informed her that Uwak was outside and wanted to speak with her.
“I then gave up and decided that nothing was happening anymore and that I should just be by myself. But by 2 am today (Tuesday, April 15), he showed up at my place but before then, I saw him around 7 pm (on Monday) but I ignored him and didn’t say anything to him.
“By 2 am, my phone rang but because I was asleep, I didn’t hear the phone ringing until someone came knocking at my door. I opened the door and asked who was knocking. The person told me someone was looking for me outside.
“I said that I wouldn’t go outside by that time because it was very risky. He insisted that he had something to tell me. That I should come out regardless of the time, that it was something very important that he wanted us to discuss and that he had something to give me.
“I told him to leave it until morning because it was very late already, but he insisted. At some point, I had to switch off my phone. But the knocking continued. I had to turn on my phone again, and he still called and said I should come out,” she said.
After repeated pressure, she eventually stepped outside and entered his vehicle. What followed, she alleged, was a heated argument that turned violent.
Midenda said, “I was already exhausted, so I came out. We got into the car, then suddenly we started an argument. I had no idea what was happening. I tried to have a decent conversation with him but before I knew it, he started punching me in the face.
“I used my garment to cover my head as he was beating me. Then, I told him I needed to go back to my house because I didn’t understand what he was doing but at that point, he had started moving the vehicle.”
Midenda said she feared for her life as the vehicle moved toward the estate gate.
“I tried opening, telling him to let me go, that I no longer wanted to do anything with him, so he should let me go because it was not by force, but he kept driving.
“Before he exited our estate gate, I had no choice but to jump out of the car because I didn’t know where he was taking me to, and it was very late and there was no one on the road.”
Photos sent to SaharaReporters by Midenda reveal severe bruises on her legs, hands, and back.
Attempts to reach Uwak for comment were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls to his mobile or WhatsApp. Text and WhatsApp messages sent at 9:18 PM and 10:00 PM on Tuesday were delivered, but as of the time of filing this report, he had not responded.
A Track Record of Making News for the Wrong Reasons
Uwak, who served as the representative for the Oron/Mbo/Okobo/Ure-Offong/Oruko and Udung-Uko Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State during the 7th National Assembly (2011-2015), made headlines in 2022 for several negative reasons. These included allegations of attempted murder by his estranged wife, Mrs. Kezia Uwak, and claims that he influenced the police to arrest her father.
In June 2022, during a press conference in Calabar, Kezia publicly detailed the difficulties she faced during their marriage, accusing Uwak of attempting to kill her and sending her to jail, according to CrossRiver Watch.
In July 2022, SaharaReporters reported that Kezia further accused Uwak of using his influence to have her father arrested by the police.
The alleged harassment of Kezia’s family came amid several allegations of domestic violence levelled against the former lawmaker by the estranged wife.
She had also, on May 29, 2022, posted on Facebook that the former lawmaker strangled her and attempted to kill her, adding that he also inflicted physical injuries on her mother.
