Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, the co-pilot of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, had walked down the aisle just two weeks before his death.
Man-Ugwueje married Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle on September 19, 2026, in a ceremony held in Abuja.
The wedding invitation showed that the Holy Matrimony took place at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, The Masters Place, on Plot 826, Solomon Lar Way, opposite the NHIS Headquarters and Customary Court of Appeal in Utako.
The reception followed at 3pm at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre along Km 10 Expressway, Asokoro. The groom was identified on the invitation as the son of a retired Group Captain.
Vendors who worked at the wedding shared footage and photographs on their pages after the crash.
One videographer, Beejay Creates, posted a video from the event with the caption, “Love in every word,” identifying the couple as “BRIDE DAMILOLA AND GROOM AHAMEFULE.”
Man-Ugwueje’s Facebook profile lists Umuahia, Abia State, as his hometown and Abuja as his current city.
An X user, @masskeemz, said Man-Ugwueje is the son of retired Group Captain Man-Ugwueje.
“Man-Ugwueje, son of retired Group Captain Man-Ugwueje, had just gotten married on September 19th to his wife, Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle, daughter of the late Wing Commander O.E. Adekunle. Both families have a long history of military service.”
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Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle Man-Ugwueje, the new bride of Squadron leader Ahamefule, comes from warrior blood. Daughter of late Wing Commander O.E Adekunle, she grew up in the barracks and earned her own wings in the Nigerian Air Force then found love in the same uniform.
The wedding invite told of two military dynasties merging. Friends say it was a fairy tale of double epaulettes, both officers, both from a long military lineage both committed to service.
Caroline Mojirade, an X user, said she knew Man-Ugwueje briefly in Benin City and described him as a “dogged leader” who canvassed opportunities for junior colleagues.
His Igbo name, Ahamefule, offers perhaps the most poignant way to remember him: “my name is not lost” or “let my name not be forgotten”.
He leaves behind a name bound to a story of service, and as tributes continue to pour in, while his life may have been cut short, Ahamefule, as his name says, will not be forgotten
THE CABLE
