Okoyo Community, Ukanafun LGA, Akwa Ibom State — November 6, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
Mr. Udeme Etuk Emmanuel has been plunged into grief after the death of his 23-year-old wife, Mary, and their newborn baby, just days short of their first wedding anniversary. The couple, married on November 2, 2024, had been expecting their first child when tragedy struck.
According to local sources, Mary died during childbirth in the early hours of November 2025, and the infant did not survive. The remains of both mother and baby were laid to rest on Thursday, November 6, 2025, in Okoyo Community, Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
In a heartfelt message posted to Facebook, Emmanuel wrote:
“Our one year anniversary wasn’t supposed to be like this. But there you are, laying still not responding to all your sweet names … I lack words, it’s empty, it’s blurry and it’s tiring. This pain is enormous.
Friends and family also took to social media to express their sorrow. One cousin, Ini Ekong, posted:
“We will all die someday if Christ tarries … but not like this. Not when we are very close to fulfilling destiny … and definitely not when we are trying to bring a life into this world. No, not like this. I lack words, my God!!!!”
Another friend, identified as Fon Felix, reflected on the brevity of Mary’s life:
“Got married at age 22, would have begun motherhood at age 23 … just a few days to celebrate their one year marriage anniversary, the cold hands of death snatched her with the new born baby.”
The tragic sequence has sparked mourning across their community. Mary and the baby will be remembered together, and the local funeral rites drew a large gathering of immediate and extended family, neighbours and friends offering support to the bereaved husband and the Etuk family.
As Emmanuel and his family begin the solemn process of grieving, their story stands as a painful reminder of life’s frailty, unforeseen loss, and the deep emotional toll borne when tragedy strikes at the threshold of new hope.