A Nigerian man in the United States, who is the son of a late Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain from Akwa Ibom State, is facing serious criminal charges including attempted homicide after a violent attack on a pregnant woman.
From Akwa Ibom to Pennsylvania: A Troubled History
The accused is 42-year-old Odudu Ukpanah, the only son of the late Engineer Albert Jimmy Ukpanah. His father, a prominent PDP figure in Akwa Ibom, was tragically assassinated at his residence on Wednesday, March 12, 2014.
Odudu Ukpanah himself was once in the spotlight in Nigeria under grim circumstances. He was falsely accused of involvement in his father's killing but was discharged and acquitted by the High Court of Akwa Ibom State on June 2, 2016. The court, presided over by Justice Ezekiel, found him not guilty.
The Shocking November 2025 Assault
The latest incident, which forms the basis of the current charges, occurred on November 7, 2025, at the Seven Gables Apartments in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. However, details of the attack only became public knowledge on Saturday, January 17, 2026, after being disclosed by Akwa Ibom indigenes who were Odudu's former schoolmates.
According to police reports, officers responding to the scene shortly before noon found a woman with severe head wounds going in and out of consciousness in the building's stairwell. The victim was three months pregnant.
Witnesses told police that Ukpanah choked the victim and slammed her to the ground. He allegedly fled when witnesses appeared but then returned to assault the pregnant woman a second time before finally leaving the scene.
Serious Charges and No Bail
Odudu Ukpanah was subsequently found by officers in a nearby apartment and arrested. He now faces a slew of severe charges filed by the police:
- Attempted Homicide
- Aggravated Assault
- Strangulation
- Aggravated Assault of an Unborn Child
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge David Rogers. The court has ordered that he be held at the Cumberland County Prison without bail, indicating the perceived severity of the alleged crimes and potential flight risk.
This case has sent shockwaves through the Akwa Ibom community both at home and in the diaspora, linking a painful family history from Nigeria to a new chapter of legal trouble in the United States.
