It was a total shutdown in Umualaoma community, Ideato LGA of Imo State on Wednesday as Chief Stephen Arinze Ibeh, popularly known as Onwa Global and Chairman of SAFIC Industries Ltd, laid his father to rest in a grand funeral ceremony attended by top business figures and dignitaries. The deceased, Chief Stephen Ozuome Ibeh, a respected community leader, died at the ripe age of 86.
The burial rites began with a vigil mass on August 19 at St. John's Catholic Church, Umualaoma; a requiem mass was celebrated August 20 by the Bishop of Orlu Diocese. The carnival-like funeral drew several billionaire industrialists from the South-East and over 40 different clubs. Rumors pegged the cost of the copper casket at about N130 million, others said close to N200 million given inflation.
APAMS Funeral Ltd confirmed the Ibeh family purchased a copper casket from the company without disclosing the price. A source who attended confirmed the family might have made more than 5 billion naira from the burial - a club was seen carrying a cheque dummy of N100M while some individuals reportedly gave out as much as N20M. Community members described the burial as a reflection of Chief Ibeh's standing, reigniting debate about the rising cost and display of high-profile funerals.
