Maria Ochefu, the matriarch of the famous Mammy Markets in Nigerian military bases, has passed away at the age of 86. Her son, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, confirmed that she died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
She was receiving treatment at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi and would have been 87 years old in April.
Security analyst Deji Adesogna announced the news on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “RIP MAMA MAMMY MARKET. The owner of Mammy Market in military barracks across the country, Maria Ochefu, aged 86, is no more.
She was married to Colonel Anthony Ochefu, who was a former military governor in Enugu State.”
