The founder of Mammy Market in military barracks across Nigeria, Mrs. Maria Ochefu, has passed away at the age of 86.
Maria Ochefu, the woman who started the well-known Mammy Market found in military barracks across Nigeria, has passed away at the age of 86.
Her son, Prof Yakubu Ochefu, confirmed her passing on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
He revealed that his mother passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday.
Confirming her death, Prof. Ochefu stated, “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 would have turned 87 in April this year.”
Mrs. Ochefu was married to Colonel Anthony Ochefu, who served as a military governor of Enugu State.
Ochefu, fondly called Mammy, was born on April 10, 1941, in Otukpo, Benue State. She was one of 14 siblings and grew up in the prison yards of Otukpo, where her father worked. Her birth name, Mammy, means “mother” in English.
*How did Mammy market start?*
In 1959, as a young military wife at the Abakpa Military Barracks in Enugu, Ochefu had no formal job. To support her family, she started selling kunu—a locally made millet drink—to soldiers at the barracks. The refreshing drink quickly became popular, but it also attracted swarms of flies, leading to complaints from neighbors. Unable to ignore the concerns, she decided to stop selling.
However, the soldiers, having developed a taste for her kunu, didn’t want to let go. When they realized she had stopped, they demanded to know why. On hearing her reasons, they protested, insisting she should continue. In response, their officers arranged a space behind the barracks, where young soldiers eager for her kunu built a tent just for her business. On the tent, a bold sign in Hausa read “Welcome to the barracks. Let’s branch at Mammy Market and drink kunu.”
This small business soon gained popularity as even former Nigerian Heads of State, General Yakubu Gowon and Muhammadu Buhari, were among her regular customers during their military days.