The last surviving female twin to be rescued by Mary Slessor, a Scottish Missionary in Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom of Abia, over a decade ago, Madam Malinda Mgbafor Okereke, otherwise called Mama Nsu Bekee, is dead.
A statement issued on behalf of the family by the only surviving son of the deceased, Bishop Okechukwu Okereke, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Thursday, disclosed that she died at the age of 115.
Born during the era of the now-eradicated practice of twin killings, Madam Okereke and her twin sister, Mgbokwo, entered the world at a time when twin births were considered taboo in Arochukwu and other parts of the Lower Cross River region.
The birth of the twins took place around the year 1800, a period when such children were often killed and cast into the so-called evil forest. This brutal tradition was abolished after Mary Slessor arrived in the area in 1876 and championed the protection of twins.
“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.
Under the care of Slessor, the twins received formal education at Mary Slessor Primary School, Arochukwu — now Mary Slessor Secondary Technical School — which was run by the Scottish missionary.
“This resulted in the twins’ sound command of the English Language, hence the nickname of Madam Mgbafor, ‘Mama Nsu Bekee’ (Mama that speaks English),” the statement noted.
Okereke described his mother as strong, neatly dressed, and full of joy up until her passing.
“She was strong, always neatly dressed, and full of joy until her last moments before her demise on March 5, following a brief illness,” he stated.
The late Madam Okereke had three children — a daughter and two sons — but is survived by one son, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and numerous relatives.
