Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday joined other dignitaries to receive the remains of the late Metropolitan Archbishop of Benin City, Most Rev. Augustine Obiora Akubeze, in Benin City.

The dignitaries included the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, Esq.; the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Emperor Jaret Tenebe; and other senior government officials.

The remains were received by the Apostolic Administrator of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Bishop Donatus Ogun, alongside Rev. Fr. Dr. Augustine Ehigie, Rev. Fr. Michael Oyanoafoh, Papal Knights and members of the Knights of St. Mulumba.

The arrival of the remains was marked by an outpouring of grief and tributes from members of the Catholic faithful, government officials and residents of Edo State, who gathered to honour the late Archbishop and reflect on his contributions to the Church and society.

Archbishop Akubeze, who died on July 9, 2026, at the age of 69, was born on August 25, 1956, in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria. He was ordained a Catholic priest on October 3, 1987, and consecrated a bishop on February 25, 2006.

Following his appointment on December 14, 2005, he became the pioneer Bishop of Uromi, a position he held until 2011. On March 18, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Benin City, and he was installed on April 28, 2011.

Until his death, Archbishop Akubeze served as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Benin City and was a prominent voice within the Catholic Church in Nigeria.

He served as Vice-President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) from 2012 to 2018 and subsequently served as President of the Conference from 2018 to 2022. He also served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Warri.

His death has been widely mourned across Edo State and beyond, with tributes highlighting his years of pastoral leadership, service to the Catholic Church and contributions to the spiritual and social development of the people.

Signed:
Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
Edo State Government