It was a heartrending scene at Oporoza Community, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, as the remains of the late Deacon Sedico Mala was finally committed to Mother Earth amidst a downpour of tears after a Christian funeral service on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

The late Deacon Mala was among victims of the tragic boat mishap that occured on Friday (barely a week ago) at the Bennet Island near Warri, an incident that claimed several lives on the spot.

Earlier, families as well as friends and sympathisers of the deceased had converged at the Warri Central Hospital (General) on Wednesday morning to convey the remains of the late Deacon Mala to his hometown for the funeral rites and Interment.

Officiated by ministers among whom are Rev. Eric Affun, Rev. Benson German, Pst. Felix Sipi, Pst. John Okosuwei, and Dcn. Raphael Erike, the funeral service conducted one last time in honour of the deceased featured prayers, praise and worship, singing of hymns, scripture readings (1 Corinthians 15:50-58, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), presentation of biography of the late Deacon Mala, and prayers for the families.

The atmosphere of the funeral ceremony was clouded by gloom and sadness with the answered rhetoric question of "Why?" wailing in the hearts of the audience as many were left speechless at the death of the Deacon and still fathoming if what they were experiencing was real.

The passing of the late Deacon Mala which could be described as 'sudden' and 'untimely' by human standard was such that it struck many hearts and left them dumbfounded. One of such expression was captured in a tribute written by one of his colleagues, Pastor Simon Oyigwu Abel, when he wrote, "My beloved pastor, if I had known that our meeting in CGMI at Benikrukru would be our last meeting here on Earth, I would have recorded your dance, smile, joke etc."

That final moment came when tears flowed ceaselessly and faces of agonies littered the landscape as the funeral service climaxed into the interment session with the deceased taken to the resting site for burial.

The late Deacon Mala, who, until his sad demise, served in the Church of God Mission International (CGMI), is survived by a wife and five children among other relatives. Worst hit by the incident of his passing are the wife and children still in their prime.

The departure of Deacon Mala, in a tragic way, has brought to the fore the essence of life and what the significance of death is to human existence. As humans continue to live life and get buried in everyday hustling and bustling, chasing after riches, wealth, clout and fame, they should not live in pretense of death or that it does not exist. As such, each day lived should be seen as an opportunity to give happiness and love, not sadness and hatred, in order to make life meaningful.

May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace and their families be forever comforted by the Spirit of the Lord Almighty.

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