Last surviving female twin rescued by Mary Slessor, Madam Malinda Mgbafor Okereke, fondly known as “Mama Nsu Bekee,” has passed on at the age of 115.
She was the last surviving female twin saved by the renowned Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, over a century ago in Arochukwu, an ancient kingdom in present-day Abia State.
The news of her passing was confirmed through a statement released in Umuahia on Thursday by her only surviving son, Bishop Okechukwu Okereke, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Madam Mgbafor and her twin sister, Mgbokwo, who died nearly 20 years ago, were born during a dark era when the birth of twins was viewed as an abomination in Arochukwu and other parts of the Lower Cross River region.
Such children were routinely killed and discarded in the evil forest, a harmful tradition that persisted until Slessor’s arrival.
Their birth, believed to have occurred around the year 1800, coincided with a time when bearing twins triggered fear and societal rejection.
Slessor, who began her missionary work in the area in 1876, would later champion a ban on the killing of twins, changing the narrative forever.
“The birth of Mgbafor and her twin sister, Mgbokwo, who passed on almost two decades ago, was not only attended to by Slessor and her team at their maternity at Obinagu, Amasu Village, Arochukwu, but the twins were subsequently adopted and fostered by Slessor herself,” the statement added.
The pair were among the early beneficiaries of Western education in the region, attending Mary Slessor Primary School, Arochukwu, now Mary Slessor Secondary Technical School, where they were nurtured under direct supervision of the Scottish missionaries.
“This resulted in the twins’ sound command of the English Language, hence the nickname of Madam Mgbafor, ‘Mama Nsu Bekee’ (Mama that speaks English).”
Despite her age, Madam Mgbafor remained vibrant and well-dressed, carrying a joyful spirit until her peaceful passing on March 5 after a short illness.
“She was strong, always neatly dressed, and full of joy until her last moments before her demise on March 5, following a brief illness,” Okereke stated.
Her final rites have been scheduled for Saturday, August 30, at her family compound in Amasu, Arochukwu. A funeral service will precede the burial at the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.
Though preceded in death by two of her three children, she is survived by a son, as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended family members.
