It has been more than ten years since Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary, rescued Madam Malinda Mgbafor Okereke, also known as Mama Nsu Bekee, the last of her twin female twins in the Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom of Abia.
She passed away at the age of 115, according to a statement released by Bishop Okechukwu Okereke, the only surviving son of the dead, who spoke on their behalf and made the news public via the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Thursday.
Madam Okereke and her twin sister Mgbokwo were born into a society that frowned upon having several children in the Lower Cross River region during the time when twin killings were common. Today, this practice is considered taboo.
When the twins were born, it was common practice to kill them and send them to the “evil forest.” This was around 1800. Mary Slessor’s arrival in the region in 1876 and her advocacy for the protection of twins led to the abolition of this cruel practice.
In addition to attending to the birth of Mgbafor and her twin sister, Mgbokwo, who passed away about twenty years ago, Slessor and her staff were also involved in the adoption and foster care of the twins after their birth at their maternity at Obinagu, Amasu Village, Arochukwu.
Mary Slessor Primary School, Arochukwu, which is now Mary Slessor Secondary Technical School, was administered by the Scottish missionary Slessor and was attended by the twins while he was caring for them.
“Mama Nsu Bekee (Mama that speaks English)” was the nickname given to Madam Mgbafor by her twin daughters because of their excellent mastery of the English language, as mentioned in the statement. Up until the day she passed away, Okereke said his mother was robust, well-dressed, and full of life.
The speaker praised the woman’s strength, impeccable taste in clothing, and infectious enthusiasm right up to her death on March 5 after a short illness.
One son, along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a plethora of other relatives, survives the late Madam Okereke. She had three children in total: a daughter and two boys.