Nollywood actor Alex Ekubo will be laid to rest today, Thursday, June 18, in Arochukwu, Abia State, following a wake-keep held Wednesday night at his family residence in Aziukwukwa, Ujari Village.
The funeral service and interment take place in Arochukwu, with a reception afterward at Mary Slessor School in Amanagwu Village.
The family announced the burial arrangements in a statement on Ekubo’s Instagram page, signed by Mazi Alex Oji Ekubo Okwaraeke on behalf of the Ekubo-Okwaraeke family. The statement described him as a man defined by “love, warmth, generosity, laughter, and an unwavering devotion to God,” and thanked the public for the calls, visits and messages of support since his death.
Abia State Governor Alex Otti had the road leading to Ekubo’s family home in Arochukwu constructed ahead of the burial.
The programme ran across three dates. A service of songs was held on June 10 at The Monarch Event Centre in Lekki, Lagos, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with guests asked to dress in white. The wake-keep followed on June 17 at the family home in Arochukwu. The burial and interment closes out the programme today.
Ekubo’s body left the mortuary in Lagos and travelled by convoy to Arochukwu, accompanied by funeral rites handlers from Ebony Funeral Home. Family, friends and colleagues met the convoy along the route, many wearing black T-shirts printed with his picture, walking ahead of the vehicle carrying the casket.
On arrival, the casket was taken to the palace of the king of Arochukwu, where the king and his chiefs prayed over it. His close friend Vintage stood by the casket throughout. His best friend, IK Ogbonna, had travelled ahead with actor Deyemi Okanlawon to help prepare the venue, with Ogbonna reportedly listed as the person who collected the body and brought it from Lagos to Arochukwu.
Actors Ini Edo, Nancy Isime, Stan Nze, and Omoni Oboli, along with fashion designer Yomi Casual, arrived in Arochukwu on Wednesday, June 17, for the wake-keep. They joined Ogbonna and Okanlawon, who had been on the ground for several days.
Various reports reshared photographs from Ekubo’s last public appearance in his hometown, in December 2022, when he attended the burial of his grandmother, Ezinne Mary Epsom Onyekwere. The page wrote that he had gone “from mourning a grandmother to being mourned by a nation,” noting that he had stood by his mother’s family, the Onyekwere family of Amannagwu, throughout that earlier funeral.
Several social media users have mourned the actor. An X user responded to a clip making the rounds, showing Alex describe what doctors had told him about his prognosis. He called it tough to watch, writing that hearing him discuss what doctors reportedly said was “truly heartbreaking.”
Another user addressed Alex directly by his traditional title Chief Ikuku, writing: “If death had a return, I wish you could see how loved you are.”
Actor Deyemi Okanlawon’s tribute at the wake-keep stood out. In his speech, he described Alex as someone who was “always willing to help” and would pick up the phone whenever called, calling him a person who genuinely listened.
Ekubo died on May 11 at the age of 40, at Evercare Hospital, after a brief battle with advanced metastatic kidney cancer. He was born in Port Harcourt and traced his roots to Arochukwu. He entered the entertainment scene after placing first runner-up at the 2010 Mr. Nigeria pageant, then moved into acting.
His film credits include Weekend Getaway, The Bling Lagosians, Omo Ghetto: The Saga and Áfàméfùnà: An Nwa Boi Story. He won Most Promising Actor at the 2012 Best of Nollywood Awards.
With the wake-keep concluded, attention now turns to the burial itself, set for later today in Arochukwu, followed by the reception at Mary Slessor School in Amanagwu Village.
