THE ONAH Family of Ogene in Amejo Ward, Edumoga District, Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, North Central Nigeria, has formally announced the final burial date for their patriarch, Elder Abah Lazarus Onah.
Elder Onah, father of Comrade Iduh L. Onah, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Abuja-based online newspaper, National Record, passed on in the early hours of Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at an estimated age of 83, following a brief illness related to diabetes.
A devout Catholic and member of the Catholic Men Organisation (CMO) as well as the Holy Family, Elder Onah was widowed in 2012 after the loss of his lifelong partner, Mrs. Onyikwu Theresa Onah.
A brief statement on behalf of the family by Comrade Onah on Friday, April 3, revealed that the final burial rites of the patriarch will commence on Thursday, April 9, 2026, and conclude on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
A detailed breakdown of daily activities will commence with a Final Homage by the deceased’s sons-in-law, a revered traditional ceremony, termed termed in Idoma ‘Op’Ot’Okwu’ (literally meaning ‘adorning the corpse with shroud’), on April 9, 2026 between 12-6pm.
The Op’Ot’Okwu ceremony will be followed immediately the same day by a wake‑keeping ceremony at the family compound in Ogene from 9pm till dawn of the following day.
On Friday, April 10, the body of the deceased will be lying in state at his Family Compound all morning alongside a complement of other burial rites and ceremonies. This will be followed by a Requiem Mass at St. Theresa’ Catholic Church, Ogene, after which interment will take place at the family compound.
The final rites; both Christian and Traditional, will start with an all-night ceremony until Saturday, April 11, 2026, when the rites will be concluded with Christian and cultural dance troupes, particularly the popular Edumoga war dance, Oglinya, as well as Ibo.
The last activity for the passage will be a Family Thanksgiving Mass at St. Theresa’ Catholic Church, Ogene.
Elder Onah is survived by three sisters – his immediate senior, Mrs. Martha Oyibo Onyocho, and two younger siblings, Mrs. Ojowu Agbo and Ms. Ochanya Catherine Onah.
Among his nine surviving children include Comrade Iduh, Mrs. Janet Agbo, Mrs. Maria Ameh, Mrs. Jumbia Etuka, Mrs. Margarete Oji, Mrs. Mary Oheitonye, Mr. Sunday Itodo, Mr. Onah Jeremiah (Onah Jnr), and Dr (Mrs.) Juliana Ejeikwu, many grand-children and a great‑grandson.
The family invites friends, colleagues, and the wider public to join them in celebrating the life of their Patriarch, celebrated for his kindness, devotion to family and deep faith in God.
