The body of the late Pop-Gospel artist, Kefee (Irikefe Don-Momoh, nee
Obareki) was given a queen's burial on Friday in her hometown, Okpara
Inland, Ethiope-East Local Government Area, Sapele, Delta State.
The
whole town ground to a standstill as the body of their late daughter
arrived Akpevwoghene Educational Centre, Okpara Inland, around noon in a
white SUV with 'Omega 1' as the plate number.
She was also in a
white casket and was laid in state in the middle of the school's
football field while friends and family paid their last respects. The
casket was not immediately opened to the public but a funeral service
was held in her honour while Sammie Okposo, his band and other Gospel
artists took turns on the stage set up at the venue.
The husband,
Teddy, clad in white had arrived earlier and received the body along
with members of Kefee's family. The first took her into one of the
classrooms and said some prayers before taking the body to the centre of
the field.
Photographs were asked not to take any pictures for a
while as things were being organised. They were allowed to take shorts
and move around unhindered once things settled.
A number of
entertainers like DJ Gosporella, I Go Dye, Linda Etukudo, Nene SoulDiva,
Anny Ibrahim, Princess, Aity Dennis, Daddy Showkey, Tosin Martins and
Nikki Laoye were present at the funeral.
After the service, the
body was then transported to the burial site nearby where a beautiful
mausoleum had been erected and buried amidst tears from friends and
well-wishers.
The parents, out of custom, were forbidden to either witness the funeral service or see the dead body of their child.
Afterwards,
in the evening, everyone regathered in Sapele for a celebratory event
where the Gospel artists and a number of local upcoming artists
performed till late into the night.
Kefee was a well-liked
Pop-Gospel artist who had been active in the entertainment industry for
the past ten years. She was born on Feb. 5, 1980 in Sapele, Delta State
and was known as the Branama Queen, in reference to her debut hit track
and album, 'Branama'.
She also scored a hit with the track,
'Kokoroko', featuring Timaya and had four albums to her credit 'Branama'
(2003), 'Branama 2' (2005),
'A Piece of Me' (2009) and 'Chorus Leader' in 2013.
Kefee
passed away on June 13, 2014, in the United States of America. She is
survived by her husband, parents (both living), friends and
well-wishers.
