Cynthia’s burial postponed amid eulogies

•L-R: Brother of the late Cynthia, Mr. Williams Osokogu; mother, Mrs. Joy-Rita Osokogu; and another brother, Ft.-Lt. Ken Osokogu at the service for the deceased at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Boji Boji-Owa, Ike North/East Local Government Area of Agbor, Delta State... on Friday
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The burial of Cynthia Udoka Osokogu, who was drugged and murdered in a hotel at FESTAC area of Lagos on July 22 by alleged Facebook friends, was on Friday postponed.

The postponement, according to family members, was necessitated by the advice of security agencies and medical experts.

Workers were already digging her grave when news about the postponement came and they were subsequently asked to stop.

Before the announcement, a crowd of mourners had already gathered at the residence of  the late Cynthia’s father on Owa-Ekei Road, Boji Boji Owa in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State.

L-R: Uduaghan condoling with Cynthia’s mother … on Friday

Her father, Maj.-Gen. Frank Osokogu (retd.), said the family was not disturbed by the postponement as the move was to ensure that no doubt was left in the minds of all as to the culpability of the accused persons.

He said, “It is not strange. I will not say we have had any hitch but there are some professional areas that experts are handling. By experts, I mean the police and medical personnel.

“To prosecute this high profile case, we would not want to leave anyone in doubt as to the culpability of those accused of the act. The interment ceremony will continue as planned so that when the body is released to us, we won’t go over it again.

•L-R: Father of the late Cynthia Osokogu, Maj-Gen. Frank Osokogu (retd.); Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; and his wife, Roli, during a condolence visit by the governor to the Osokogu family at Boji Boji-Owa, Ika North-East LGA, Delta State… on Friday

“It would be in everybody’s interest to leave out the interment of my daughter in deference to medical and security authorities.”

Osokogu said the law must take its full course as murder is a crime against the state and not an individual.

He described Cynthia’s death as tumultuous, painful and incomprehensible.

“For someone as meticulous as Cynthia to have fallen for the shenanigans of the boys is difficult to fathom. As a Christian family, we leave everything to God,” he said.

He described the upbringing of his children as total, which he said included moral, academic, religious and vocational training in other to give them an edge in life.

At a requiem mass for Cynthia held at the St. Dominic Catholic Church, Boji Boji-Owa, the officiating priest, Rev. Father Eugene, condemned the murder of Cynthia.

He said, “I want to talk from a heart that is wounded, but I am a priest. We are here to pray for Cynthia. There should be no revenge and no bad blood. She did nothing to those people.

“She did not do anything bad to those people because she had no bad intention. Cynthia touched every life she met. We have come to ask God to accept our prayers. We ask God to pardon those who have committed this havoc.”

Also, Rev. Father Donald Biachi said his own homily was not intended to soften the reality of the tragedy that has befallen the Osokogu family.

He said it was regrettable that agents of darkness turned the Facebook into a medium of death and sorrow.

He said, “These criminals are cowards hiding under the cover of social media to humiliate the innocent. Despite the acknowledgement of the challenge in the society, we should have the feeling of forgiveness in our hearts.

“Death and life are real. It has come to the Osokogu family. That Cynthia had to die the way she did tells us that the society is bad.”