Madam Malinda Mgbafor Okereke, popularly known as Mama Nsu Bekee, and the last surviving female twin saved by Scottish missionary Mary Slessor, has passed away at the age of 115.
Her death was announced in a statement released by her only surviving son, Bishop Okechukwu Okereke, and made available to journalists in Umuahia on Thursday.
Malinda and her twin sister, Mgbokwo—who died nearly 20 years ago—were born during a time when twin births were considered a curse in the Arochukwu Ancient Kingdom of Abia State. The harmful cultural practice led to the killing of twins, who were believed to be evil and often thrown into the “evil forest.”
This was the norm until Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary, arrived in the region and campaigned against the practice, enforcing a ban on the killing of twins in 1876.
According to the family, Malinda and her sister were among the earliest twins to be rescued and cared for by Slessor and her missionary team at their maternity center in Obinagu, Amasu Village, Arochukwu. The missionary not only saved them but also raised them as her own.
The twins received formal education under Slessor’s care at the Mary Slessor Primary School—now Mary Slessor Secondary Technical School—in Arochukwu. Their fluency in English earned Malinda the nickname Mama Nsu Bekee, which means “the woman who speaks English.”
“She remained vibrant, cheerful, and elegantly dressed even into old age,” Bishop Okereke noted, adding that she passed away peacefully on March 5 after a brief illness.
Her burial is scheduled for Saturday, August 30, at the family home in Amasu, Arochukwu, following a funeral service at the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.
Mama Nsu Bekee had three children—two sons and a daughter—but is survived by one son, along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and numerous relatives.
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