Founder of military barracks’ “Mammy Markets” dies at 86

The late Maria Ochefu

The founder of Mammy Market in military barracks across the country, Maria Ochefu, is dead.

Her son, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, on Thursday, said that she passed in her sleep on Tuesday.

Aged 86, she was married to Colonel Anthony Ochefu, who was once a military governor in Enugu State.

In her last interview with THE PUNCH newspaper a few years ago, Ochefu had narrated how she started Mammy Market, which later became household name in all military barracks across the country.

During the interview, she mentioned two past Heads of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.) and former President Muhammadu Buhari, all retired as her customers.

Ochefu said, “Yes, Mama passed away on Tuesday in Makurdi in her sleep.

“She had been a patient at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, and she would have been 87 in April this year.” [The Punch]

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