Benue State based lawyer, Moses Ishimayan Udam and his wife, Iveren Nkechinyere, who were brutally killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen were reportedly expecting their first child after 7 years of marriage.
Recall that the couple were gruesomely slaughtered at their home in Agboughul area of Makurdi on Tuesday night, December 15, 2020.
A relative of the slain couple, Shuu Oraduen, who spoke in an interview with PUNCH said late Udam and his wife were looking forward to becoming parents after waiting for 7 years.
“I am Shuu Gabriel Oraduen. Moses Udam was my brother and a constituent. He was my brother because we are the same kindred; he was also my constituent because I represent him; He was from Modern Market Council Ward and Bako where I hail from. We are from the Makurdi Local Government Area and by that, I am the councillor representing Modern Market Council Ward in the local government,” the relative said.
“It is terrible and shocking. The most painful aspect of the story is that the couple had long expected the fruit of the womb and they were cut off like that without allowing them to see the blessing they had prayed for. They had been married for seven years before God answered them with the pregnancy, but unfortunately, the blessing was cut off. Barrister Udam was not just a politician, he was also a minister of God. He was a pastor and a very decent man, who always trusted God.”
Oraduen also revealed details of his meeting with the late lawyer the same day he was killed which also happened to be his birthday.
“The last time I saw him was December 15, the same day he was killed; we met at the Makurdi Local Government Council secretariat. Even a day before his death, we met but the last time was on the 15th, which was his birthday,”
“Our discussion centred on the herdsmen attacks in the state, particularly the recent ones in our place. Because the first attack, which happened in Tse Tyoengba and Okpe, where three people were killed and two were injured, which was on December 6, I made a post on the 7th and he shared the same post and wrote that we were crying for help; when we met, we discussed extensively about the incident.
“He was like saying when was this going to stop, how long would our people continue to suffer in the hands of these herdsmen as a result of unprovoked attacks consistently every now and then? That was our discussion and I then wished him a happy birthday. We took a photograph together and we parted ways because he came to see the Secretary and the Chairman of the local government, while I was preparing to go for my legislative duty.”
Oraduen described Udam as a humble, decent and cheerful man, who always stood by the the truth.
“I will describe him as a very humble, focussed and determined young man. I will describe him as a zealous motivator, a man who stood by the truth even in his career. I have not heard him handling a case that was mischievous. He always stood by the truth; he was a law-abiding citizen, very patient, very accommodating and friendly. At the first instance of meeting him, you would feel that you had met him before. He was always cheerful; I never saw him frowning before.” He said.
