Victor Uchenna Dike Jr. laid to rest.
2 min read
Thursday December 8, 2022 was a sad great day in Umuezeala Uba Umuaka as the remains of the American based high profile Akalite, Mr Uchenna Victor Dike was laid to rest. Activities that marked the passage of Mr Dike actually started on the night of Wednesday December 7, 2022 when the youths of Umuezeala and some family members of the bereaved Dike large family gathered at Dr Victor Dike’s ancestral home to pay their last respect to the deceased.
When Umuaka Times reporter who monitored the entire wakes night arrived at the venue, the youths were already seated as some of them were digging the grave for the final resting place for the late Mr Dike who died in the United States of America where he was living with his parents, Dr Victor and Perp Dike and his siblings. It was indeed a night of sorrow but the Umuezeala youths tried their best to convert it to a night of fun and laughter as they considered it the only method they can bear the loss and morn with the family. One of them whispered to Umuaka Times that no amount of crying and wailing will bring him back again. “The only thing we can do is to move on.”
On the early hours of Thursday 8 December 2022, the youths, clad in their black attire gathered and joined the motorcade to Aladimma mortuary Owerri where they escorted the corpse of one of their colleagues home for burial. When the motorcade reached Afor Umuaka, many market men and women came out to catch a glimpse of the poor boy who died at an unripe age of 32. Slowly, the journey home kicked off in another form until the motorcade arrived the Dike compound in Umuezeala Uba Umuaka. Some Umuada and Umuezeala women who witnessed the sorrowful arrival of the corpse, burst into deep crying and shouting.
Shortly after the arrival, the corpse was prepared for lying in state where family members and others went in and paid their last respect to the departed soul. According to the instructions from the family, no time was to be wasted; the lying in state did not last for up to 20 minutes and off to St Mary’s Church the mourners went where a requiem Mass was celebrated for the repose of the soul of the late Dike. During the church service, the priest preached about death and asked God to comfort the bereaved family. Around 11:45, the church service came to an end and the congregation again went back to Umuezeala Uba where the body of Mr Uchenna Victor Dike was permanently laid to rest.
Several dignitaries from far and wide were present at the burial ceremony. There was no funfair and the family tried its best possible to organize a low key burial. Uche Dike was born on September 24 1989 in Imo State and he died on August 20 in Dallas Texas, United States of America. May his soul rest in peace.
