…Says he saw heaven, angels and dead friends in the great beyond
From LINUS OOTA, Lafia
Usually, strange-but-true stories of people who died and resurrected are few and far between. While such stories resonate around the world, only very few people in their lifetime are actual witness to such. The people of Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State recently had a rare first-hand experience of such a bizarre occurrence when a certain Ukeyumana Kenti, 43, died and woke up six days later. The most confounding part of the story: His corpse was already pumped full of formaline, a chemical used for embalming corpses.
Ordinarily, Kenti’s curriculum vitae would hardly attract attention: native of Azabba in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State; married to Ashetu Kwaseve Kenti, 39, herself a native of Rukubi village of Doma Local Government Area of the state, with whom he fathered five children; a holder of Business Administration diploma from the Benue State Polytechnic, briefly employed in the past by Taraku Mills, but became a full-time farmer in his village.
Nonetheless, the bizarre nature of the death and resurrection of Ukeyumana Kenti has turned him into an overnight celebrity of sort.
Journey to the great beyond
Mr. Kenti enjoyed good health till early October 2017 when he complained about waist and chest pains and was admitted at the specialist hospital in Lafia. There, he was treated and discharged after the hospital had declared him medically fit. But on October 30, 2017, his situation took a turn for the worse when hours after he woke up strong and healthy, he complained of serious headache. His family was making preparations to take him to hospital when he suddenly gave up the ghost.
Owing to financial challenges the family was said to be facing at that time, it could not take his corpse to mortuary lest they incur more bills. Instead, they reportedly got a nurse to ‘embalm’ the body and keep it in the house while they made arrangements for his burial. But while the arrangements were on, the 43-years-old man whose body is said to have been embalmed with formalin came back to life at about 9am, November 5, 2017, six days after his reported death.
Speaking to Saturday Sun about his experience, Mr. Kenti confesses that he cannot fully recollect all that happened during his struggles in the throes of death except that he was writhing in pains at one moment and suddenly felt relieved moments later. Thereafter, he found himself in another world.
‘Resurrection’ from the dead
“Everything is story to me,” he insists. “What I can confirm is that people gathered in my house to cry but after few days, God gave me another chance and today I am alive. I feel ok now.”
Sharing the little details he could remember, he says: “My voyage to heaven was a tranquil one. I felt very calm. The cloud opened up and I saw something like a giant golden satellite, suspended in space. I wouldn’t know whether this is what the Bible calls heaven. But there I was greeted by a 70 ft tall angel who stood in front of the gate that was about 500 feet wide
“He had a sword, a beautiful golden sword and he wore something like a golden hair. As I looked I discovered that there was another angel inside the city. He was holding some books. After a brief conversation between the two angels, I was allowed into the city. There I met an old school friend during my days at the Polytechnic, one Ode Echonihu, who died shortly after our graduation. He it was who took me round on a tour of the city. About 400 yards from what looks like the throne of God. I was captivated by the sign on the outside that read: “unclaimed blessings.” So, I can conveniently say that I went there and successfully back. I have given my life to God; He is real.
“I gave up the ghost after a brief illness,” he goes further. “I was told my death was recorded at about 12 noon on October 30. My wife contacted members of the village and a village nurse was engaged to embalm my corpse and deposit it in one of my rooms in the village. But after about five days I woke up and I felt cold. I came out of the room gently and people who came to console my wife started running instead of coming to my rescue.
Reactions and recollections from the land of the dead
“It was only my wife and my younger brother who summoned courage to come to my aid by supporting me to sit down. I discovered that my whole body was covered in formalin, a preservative used on dead bodies. It was at this stage that other members of the village were informed that I have returned to life. My wife then instructed my younger brother to prepare warm water for me to bath and wash off the formalin
“People started rejoicing and termed my coming back to life a miracle. I thank God because I know he heard the prayers of my children who were constantly praying for me to live long and see them become responsible people in the society. Their faith has brought me back to life.”
He describes the land of the dead as peaceful, calm and tranquil. “The place is filled with myriads of angels who are very tall and there is light everywhere,” he recalls. “The angels were always talking about Jesus Christ. That was one of the things that convinced me that I was in heaven. I saw a lot of my schoolmates, some, from the polytechnic and others from my secondary school days. I saw Ode James, Thaddeus Abaver, Joy Akema and others. There, food is served free. You don’t pay. Heaven is an interesting place and I am happy that I went there and came back to the world.” He ends his story by noting that God sent him back to tell people that heaven is real: “I will dedicate the rest of my life on earth to the service of God.”
Recalling the experience, Ashetu, his wife narrates: “when he died I was wondering how he left me and the little kids without saying good bye to us. I was worried about the future of the children without him. I felt like a sheep without shepherd. This was what made me and the kids to continue to pray and asking God to return him alive to us. On one of the nights, I dreamt and was surprised when he came to me in the dream to demand for sex. I’m very happy about his return to life. God has answered our prayers and we shall dedicate ourselves to serve Him for the rest of our lives.”
Dead man’s relations speak
Mr Tyav Ugban, his uncle, speaking to Saturday Sun says what happened remains a mystery to them and the entire village. “It came to us as a big surprise,” he affirms. “More surprising is the fact that the bed on which his body was laid and the cloth that was used in wrapping him had no trace of foul or unpleasant smell as you would expect in such a situation. And, there is no sign of any decay on his skin. “It is a miracle; that’s why a lot of people trooped out to go and see things for themselves.”
Another relation, Mr Terlumun Kenti, says that when he died the whole village was quiet for some days. But his return to life suddenly brought life to the quiet village. “It may appear strange,” he says. “It’s still is, but if you would recall, in the olden days, when a man dies untimely, the elders would gather in the village and perform some rites and the man would wake up. It happened several times in Tiv land in those days. So what happened in this case is similar to that. When he died, we were planning to organise a seven-day mourning for him when he suddenly came back to life. So, I am happy.”