I was Terseer Tor Mfo at home and Samuel Peter in school.

I am Terseer Agena. My father is Agena Joseph Baki Kur Agbugbuh from Mbakume Monkwav, Ikurav-Tiev I in Katsina-Ala LGA of Benue state in Central Nigeria. Our village is located along the third kilometer on Ikowe-Abaji road also referred to by others as Ayeh Vanger road. Ayeh road starts from Ikowe settlement located along Katsina-Ala-Zaki Biam road is roughly ten kilometers away or ten minutes drive from Katsina-Ala town. My mother told me that I was born at the NKST Hospital Mkar on the 25th of March in the mid seventies. I am the second child of my mother, Kpamkwase Rebecca, daughter of Yoosuh Akaa of Mbaviende Ukan from Ushongo LGA of Benue state. My elder sister’s name is Dooshima Charity. I have a half brother by name Tersoo Godwin. His father’s name is Tor Peter Mfo. I spent one of the first phases of my childhood at Mkar with my mother and Dooshima. I started my primary education at NKST Demonstration Primary School Mkar around 1982. Because we lived with my step father, Tor Peter Mfo who was serving in the Nigerian Army, I was privileged to experience the much talked about barracks life. As such, between 1984 and 1987, I attended Army Children School Ohaifia and Army Children School Akure in Imo state and Ondo state respectively. My step father retired from the Army to his village, Ikyumbur-Mbatyav where I rounded up my primary education in 1988 at RCM Primary School Lough, Gboko LGA.

Early 1989, I got admission into Kings Comprehensive College (KCC) Mkar. I missed an academic session because during my second term in JSS two at KCC Mkar. I ran away from school and most importantly from the custody of my mother and step father whose intention was that I continue to bear Tor Peter Mfo as my surname. This explains why till date some of my JSS one mates at Mkar still prefer to refer to me as ‘SamPet’, short form of Samuel Peter. I was Terseer Tor Mfo at home and Samuel Peter in school.

By 1990, I went back to live with my biological father and other members of the larger Baki Kur family at Mbakume-Monkwav, Ikurav-Tiev I in Katsina-Ala LGA. There was a mild drama between my mother who was passively supported by Tor Peter Mfo on one hand and my father, Agena Baki Kur on the other hand. I was eventually enrolled into JSS two at Government Secondary School (GSS) Abaji-Kpav in 1991. I completed my Secondary education in 1995 at GSS Abaji-Kpav. This period in my life was marked by mysterious and intriguing incidences and encounters which had the capacity to either send me out of school or discourage me from continuing with my secondary education.

After my final examinations at GSS Abaji, I went to stay for a few months with my mother who was at the time living at Mkar and working as a nursing/ward aide at NKST Hospital Mkar. By the end of that year I came back to my village in Mbakume, Ikurav-Tiev I where I built a state of the art round, thatched hut for myself, furnished it to a standard that my meager resources could allow as well as ventured into yam farming, cassava farming, soya-beans farming among a few others like cutting and selling of wood.

With the proceeds from my soya-beans farm, I secured admission into the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo. I got myself fully registered and commenced studies for a diploma in Public Administration which I completed in August, 1998. After my diploma programme, no job was forthcoming, not even a teaching appointment at an Extra-moral evening lesson school. I secured admission for my HND programme in 2002 and even started attending lectures. I however, could not continue with the programme due to insufficient funds. I had some money to at least do part of the registration but I had no hope of raising the reaming funds to complete my first year registration. I abandoned the programme because I had earlier promised myself never again to get myself roped into that type of hardship I earlier experienced during my diploma programme at the polytechnic. This coincided with the period during which I took a teaching appointment with a private secondary school, MMaka International College, Mkar, Gboko where I worked for a period of about four months for a monthly salary of two thousand naira but got paid only once after some of my colleagues and I had threatened to down tools via a written letter captioned ‘Special Notification’ addressed to the proprietor.

Prior to this, I got enrolled into a non-governmental, youth paramilitary organisation known as Nigerian Peace corps, NPC in 2002. The recruitment and training programme was carried out at the former NYSC Orientation Camp Annune, Tarkar LGA now Nigeria Police training Camp. After the training which involved youths from all the twenty-three local government areas of Benue state, we were posted to our respective local governments of origin to offer security services. That was how I got back to Katsina-Ala once again. We were four in number from Katsina-Ala LGA. I was the second in command and was attached to the office of the Deputy Caretaker Chairman by name Honourable Agbo Kize. Our Commander was attached to the Chairman’s office, the third guy to the DGSA’s office while the fourth person was at the office of the Ter-Katsina-Ala.

We were placed on a monthly allowance of a thousand and five hundred naira each. Shortly after this, officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence corps, NSCDC were also deployed for the first time to the Local governments. Some of the NSCDC officers I met at the Katsina-Ala LGA while working as NPC officer are Robert Akpera, Yongo Godfrey among others.

By April 2003, in search of greener pastures, I left for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. I stayed with an Mkar friend nick-named Brainz who was in turn being squatted by one Monday Kange. I stayed with them for about six months before I got employed as a class teacher with a private nursery and primary school by name Delphia Kiddies Land FHA Estate Lugbe, Abuja. In 2006 I resigned my appointment with the school because I got enlisted into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence corps, NSCDC.

After my basic orientation and initial training at the Benue state command headquarters, Makurdi, I was deployed in January 2007 to my very first assignment to serve at the Logo Divisional office of NSCDC, Ugba. By ending of 2008, I was redeployed to the administrative department at the state headquarters, Makurdi. I got enrolled for a degree programme into the Benue State University, Makurdi to read for a Bachelor of Arts Education degree in English, (B.A. Ed. English) in 2010 and I rounded up in 2015.

In 2015, published my first collection of poetry Euphoria of Sophistry which was Shortlisted and eventually earned me Second Runner Up in the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Poetry Prize 2015.

While I served in Logo, I met Vera Mou with whom I am happily married with three lovely boys namely; Verem, Vershima and Verse. Verem, my first son is from a failed marriage with Monica whom I met while I was working with Delphia Kiddies Land, Abuja.