Colleagues, family lay Patrick Odey to rest

Etim Ekpimah

The late Mr Patrick Odey, Akwa Ibom State correspondent of The PUNCH, has been laid to rest today in his hometown of Mbube, in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Interment followed a funeral service at the Assemblies of God Church, Mbube.
Odey, who was born on 1 October 1963, died in the early hours of Tuesday, 1 September 2026, leaving behind a grieving family and a newsroom community that counted him as one of its own.
On Thursday, 1 October, the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, held a night of songs and tributes in his honour. Colleagues who had shared press rooms, deadlines and long assignments with him gathered to remember a man whose pen had served the public for more than two decades.
On Friday, 2 October, a wake-keep was held at the family compound in Mbube. Relatives, friends and well-wishers filled the compound, sharing memories and consoling one another ahead of the final farewell.

Odey is survived by his wife, Mrs Alice Odey, and their six children: five sons and a daughter.
He attended Ntol Comprehensive Secondary School in Ogoja, Cross River State. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Literary Studies from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.
Until his death, Odey was The PUNCH’s correspondent in Akwa Ibom State, with more than 22 years of experience in the media industry. Before joining The PUNCH, he had worked with The Post Express, Daily Champion and Daily Trust.
Today, in Mbube, family, friends and colleagues bid him a final farewell.