{"id":122242,"date":"2025-09-13T22:13:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T21:13:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122242"},"modified":"2025-09-13T22:13:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T21:13:37","slug":"tears-as-family-friends-bid-dr-leon-farewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/tears-as-family-friends-bid-dr-leon-farewell\/","title":{"rendered":"Tears as family, friends bid Dr. Leon farewell\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Myke Agunwa<\/div>\n
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There was free flow of tears in Karishi, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as the remains of late Dr. Leon Usigbe were interred in his residence on Saturday.<\/div>\n
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Late Dr. Usigbe, the Abuja Bureau Chief of Nigerian Tribune Newspapers died on July 25th, 2025 after a brief illness in an Abuja hospital.<\/div>\n
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Until his death, Usigbe was the State House and Peoples Democratic Party’s Correspondent of Nigerian Tribune newspapers.<\/div>\n
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His body was lowered to Mother Earth at exactly 12:40 pm shortly after the funeral mass held at St. Patrick\u2019s Catholic Church, Karshi and officiated by Rev.Fr. David Osagie Akahomhen.<\/div>\n
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At his graveside, tears rolled down faces of both immediate family members and other mourners who described his demise as a great loss.<\/div>\n
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Staff of Abuja Bureau of Nigerian Tribune, State House Correspondents, members of PDP Press Corps as well as editors from various media houses in Abuja, and parish members were on hand to pay their last respect to Dr. Usigbe.<\/div>\n
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Before the commencement of the requiem mass, the body was reverently placed by the pallbearers at the entrance of the Church and received by the priest with the ministers bearing the cross, lighted candles, holy water, the Holy Bible, and a white pall as symbols of faith and eternal life.<\/div>\n
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Presiding over the requiem mass, Rev. Fr. Akahomhen, preaching from Wisdom 4:7-15, Romans 8:14-23, first and second readings respectively, hailed the late Usigbe as a man who lived a life of impact.<\/div>\n
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Osagie, who described Usigbe\u2019s death as sudden, said he was a man known for offering support to the church and for helping those around him to shine, also hailed him as a committed family man.<\/div>\n
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He cited an example when kidnappers attacked his home while he was away in the US, he took steps from abroad to secure his family.<\/div>\n
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According to Osagie, when Dr. Usigbe came, fear disappeared from his family.<\/div>\n
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The Reverend described the late Usigbe as a man of courage to the very end. He read the text message that the late Usigbe sent to him, which read: \u201cPlease Father, don\u2019t worry about me, I have lived a good life.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Osagie called on friends and associates of the late Usigbe not to forsake and abandon his family after the burial.<\/div>\n
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Speaking on behalf of the management of Nigerian Tribune Newspapers, the Acting Abuja Bureau Chief, Mr. Segun Olatunji, described the late Usigbe as a dedicated and thorough-bred professional who distinguished himself in his career and as the State House Correspondent of the Organization.<\/div>\n
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He conveyed the sympathy of the management and prayed that God should give the family fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, while urging the family to take solace in the fact that Usigbe had lived a fulfilled life.<\/div>\n
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Speaking on behalf of the media team of the Presidency, Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President in the office of the Vice President, said the Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who was unavoidably absent, directed him to represent the media team of the Presidency.<\/div>\n
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Nkwocha, who described Usigbe as a gentleman with dedication to fitness and positive outlook, said he was a journalist of high standards whose passing left grappling emotions.<\/div>\n
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On his part, Fred Ituah, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Edo State who spoke on behalf of Edo journalists said, \u201cDr. Leon was a brother, a kinsman and somebody most of us looked onto in journalism, his death though shocking, quite surprising too, we are hoping that God will console his family and the rest of us who will still carry on the mantle he has left within journalism space, we will continue to make him proud and do all we can do.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAnd another point is that for our colleagues, journalists, when you are in in need, in trouble or ill always pick up your phone, a problem shared is sometimes half solved, a good number of us were not even aware that he was ill until it was too late, and I am hoping that going forward some of these incidents will be prevented, and if our colleagues are in need and they need us, we should always be our brothers keeper, like the Bible prescribe, and I pray for the repose of his soul.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Dr. Leon Usigbe\u2019s daughter, Barrister Osose Ivy Usigbe, said the hearts of the family were heavy for losing a father who was always there for the family, noting that what made his late father great was not only his professional brilliance but his humanity.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHe gave love freely, valued honesty above all, and carried himself with humility that made everyone feel seen and respected. He was comfortable in the profession as he was with his family, and to us, he was our foundation and strength,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n
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She thanked relatives, colleagues, and friends for honouring their late father in a special way.<\/div>\n
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She said: \u201cWe appreciate our relatives, who stood by us from the very beginning, colleagues and church members who came from far and near. It has enlightened us that we are not walking this road alone\u201d.<\/div>\n
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Earlier President Tinubu described Dr. Usigbe as a veteran State House Correspondent and professional whose dedication to truth, balance, and ethical journalism earned him the respect of colleagues, public officials, and readers nationwide.<\/div>\n
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The President noted that Usigbe\u2019s insightful reporting and calm demeanour contributed immensely to strengthening democratic governance and keeping the public well-informed about the workings of the presidency and government at large.<\/div>\n
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Before he was interred in his final resting place, members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Abuja Council on Wednesday held a Night of Tribute and Candle light procession in honour of their late colleague.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Myke Agunwa There was free flow of tears in Karishi, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as the remains of late Dr. Leon Usigbe were interred…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTears as family, friends bid Dr. Leon farewell\u00a0 - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/tears-as-family-friends-bid-dr-leon-farewell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tears as family, friends bid Dr. Leon farewell\u00a0 - 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