MARY ITSUOKOR: A PIONEERING PROPHETESS AND TRAILBLAZER OF THE GOSPEL IN OGBONA
Before the advent and widespread influence of Pentecostal Christianity in Etsako, God, at different times and in different generations, raised individuals through whom He was believed to speak to communities and individuals. Some emerged from humble backgrounds, without formal education, social status, or any recognizable pedigree, yet their lives and ministries left enduring impressions on the people around them. One such remarkable individual was Uwomha Mary Itsuokor of Ogbona, remembered as a pioneering prophetess and an early trailblazer of the Christian gospel in the community.
Mary appeared on the spiritual landscape of her generation without any obvious credentials. She had no formal education and came from a humble background. Her life was marked by considerable personal challenges. She was a young woman who had been divorced by her husband, with whom she had three daughters. The circumstances surrounding the dissolution of her marriage are not entirely clear, although family accounts suggest that there may have been irreconcilable differences. Whatever the circumstances, the experience became part of the remarkable journey through which her life and ministry unfolded.
Family Background and Early Life
Mary Itsuokor was born into the family of Eramha Itsuokor of Ivhiochie Quarter, Ogbona, and his wife, Omoayena of Iraokhor; both communities being located in the Etsako area of present-day Edo State. She spent her formative years in Ogbona under the care and guidance of her parents.
Mary later married a member of the Deji family of Iraokhor. She and her husband eventually lived in Lagos, where a significant transformation in her spiritual life began.
Her Spiritual Awakening in Lagos
While living in Lagos, Mary became associated with the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC). It was during this period that she developed an exceptionally strong prayer life. According to accounts of her life, she began to experience visions, trances, and what she understood as divine revelations. She would receive messages that she believed were intended for particular individuals and would communicate those messages to them.
Her experiences were sometimes extraordinary. She reportedly found herself travelling to distant places and entering environments where she preached the gospel and delivered messages to people. Her unusual behaviour and intense spiritual experiences eventually caused concern among those around her. She was subsequently taken back to Ogbona, her place of birth, where members of her family attempted to care for her and understand what was happening to her.
Her elder brother, Umoru, took responsibility for receiving her. Whenever Mary disappeared into the forest, Umoru and other members of the family would search for her, sometimes for several days. On some occasions, they reportedly found her groaning, crying, and deeply engaged in prolonged prayers. According to family recollections, she would spend hours interceding for God’s mercy upon Ogbona, which she believed was heavily burdened by idolatry, witchcraft, and other spiritual practices.
A Voice Crying in Ogbona
Mary soon began preaching openly in Ogbona. She preached with a powerful voice, often praising God with Yoruba songs and expressions she had acquired during her years in Lagos. Because many people in Ogbona did not understand the Yoruba language she used, and because of her unusual behaviour, some people regarded her as mentally unstable and derisively referred to her as a madwoman.
She would pray, dance, sing, and speak in tongues for extended periods. She also spent considerable time fasting and praying, sometimes withdrawing into the forest for days at a time.
Concerned relatives and community members consulted traditional practitioners to determine the cause of her unusual behaviour. According to accounts handed down about her ministry, Mary would respond with prayers, and the efforts of those consulted were said to have produced no solution. Eventually, people largely stopped trying to restrain her.
Instead, they began referring to her by names associated with the prayer movement of the period, including “Onadura” and “Aladura.” What had initially been regarded as strange behaviour gradually became recognized by many as an expression of a deeply religious life.
Mary travelled around the villages, preaching against idolatry and witchcraft and calling people to repentance. Her message was uncompromising: people should turn away from traditional religious practices and embrace the Christian faith.
A Prophetess in Her Own Community
Uwomha Mary became known as a prophetess whose ministry was both respected and misunderstood. She was regarded by her followers as a woman of prayer, spiritual discernment, and unusual commitment to the work of God.
Her ministry was not confined to preaching. She was remembered particularly for spending long periods in prayer, including nighttime prayers during which she interceded for individuals and for the wider community. Those who knew her believed that she was engaged in a spiritual struggle on behalf of people whom she considered to be oppressed or bound by forces of darkness.
Despite the ridicule she sometimes endured, Mary’s influence gradually grew. She eventually became a trusted spiritual adviser to the then Ukpe-Ukpi of Ogbona, Chief Patrick Oboarekpe, who reportedly had considerable confidence in her spiritual judgment.
The Beginning of Her Church in Ogbona
Mary later established a small congregation in the large parlour of her elder brother, Umoru. The church attracted a substantial following and became one of the early centres of Christian worship in Ogbona.
Among those associated with the congregation were Uwomha Omonobedo and Eramha Sule Omiawa, who were remembered as strong members of the church.
At some point, Uwomha Omonobedo separated from the congregation because of disagreements regarding certain practices and expectations within the church. Nevertheless, Mary’s ministry continued.
Her healing ministry was particularly associated with prayer over water. This practice was consistent with what she had encountered in the Christ Apostolic Church. She prayed over water and gave it to people to drink as an expression of faith and prayer for healing. According to those who knew her, she did not burn candles or incense as part of her ministry.
When the Christ Apostolic Church eventually became established in Ogbona, Mary brought her congregation into the CAC fold. Her earlier work therefore became part of the foundation of the Christian movement that developed in the community, including the CAC congregation at Ughieda.
Accounts and Testimonies Surrounding Her Ministry
Several stories have been preserved by people who knew Mary, and these testimonies form an important part of the oral history surrounding her ministry.
One such account concerns an unusual incident involving vultures. On one occasion, a large number of vultures were reportedly seen hovering around the family compound. Mary immediately took her bell, came out, and began praying while pointing toward the birds. According to the account, the vultures subsequently moved toward the main Itsuokor family house at the market square.
Mary followed them, continued praying, and eventually the birds dispersed. She reportedly became deeply concerned and interpreted the incident as a bad omen. She warned that something terrible might happen.
Some months later, the first male child of Itsuokor Eramha Okolo was involved in a serious motor accident while traveling home from Lagos and died. His remains were brought to Ogbona for burial. Other deaths reportedly occurred within the family around the same period.
Whether viewed as prophecy or coincidence, the story became one of the enduring testimonies associated with Mary’s ministry and contributed to the belief among her followers that she possessed unusual spiritual insight.
A Prophecy Concerning a Future Minister
Perhaps one of the most personally significant testimonies about Mary’s ministry concerns a prophecy she made in the early 1970s.
Around 1973 or 1974, while Mary and her congregation were worshipping and praying, she reportedly instructed that a young boy should be brought to her. The boy was surprised because he had never attended her service before.
When he appeared, Mary pointed at him and declared that God had told her that He would use him mightily and that he would take the gospel around the world.
The boy’s mother was deeply upset by the declaration. She reportedly misunderstood the prophecy and feared that her son might be marked out for sacrifice. She immediately went to the church, dragged him away, and confronted Mary. The incident created considerable tension between the two families.
Years passed, and the young boy eventually experienced a dramatic conversion to Christianity and began preaching the gospel. In time, he remembered neither the prophecy nor its significance.
In 1986, when he held his first major gospel crusade in Ogbona, Mary was still alive. She was reportedly overjoyed. She believed that the prophecy she had spoken many years earlier had finally been fulfilled. She celebrated openly, singing and dancing around the community.
For Mary, the event was not merely a personal vindication; it was confirmation of what she believed God had revealed to her years earlier.
A Life of Prayer and Consecration
Mary Itsuokor was remembered as a deeply committed woman of God. Those who knew her described her as a person who sought to live a life free from compromise, unrighteousness, and excessive attachment to worldly possessions.
She was content with little and remained devoted to prayer and service. Her life was characterized by fasting, prayer, evangelism, and a determination to call people away from practices she considered contrary to the Christian faith.
Yet her story also illustrates the familiar biblical observation that “a prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and among his own kin.” Mary did not always receive the honour or recognition that her followers believed she deserved.
Indeed, people sometimes used derogatory expressions to describe her. Among the humorous names by which she was called was “yeye woman.” On one occasion, she reportedly turned the expression into a light-hearted observation, asking, “Are we not all doing yeye together now?”
In another deeply touching encounter, Mary knelt before the narrator and asked him to pray for her. The moment reflected the humility that characterized the latter years of a woman who had spent much of her life praying for others.
Legacy
Uwomha Mary Itsuokor occupies a distinctive place in the religious history of Ogbona. She emerged at a time when Christianity was still struggling to establish a foothold in the community and when traditional religious practices remained deeply entrenched.
Her methods, language, spiritual experiences, and uncompromising message were not always understood by her contemporaries. She was sometimes ridiculed, misunderstood, and even regarded as mentally unstable. Yet she continued to preach, pray, fast, and call people to repentance.
Her ministry helped prepare the ground for the wider acceptance of organized Christian worship in Ogbona. Her eventual integration with the Christ Apostolic Church connected her pioneering efforts with a broader Christian movement.
Beyond institutional history, Mary’s greatest legacy may be found in the lives she touched and the generations that followed. She demonstrated extraordinary courage at a time when openly challenging established religious practices required considerable conviction.
She was, in the fullest sense, a pioneer, prophetess, prayer warrior, evangelist, and trailblazer of the gospel in Ogbona.
Her story is therefore not merely the story of one woman. It is part of the story of Ogbona’s transition from an era dominated by traditional religious practices to one in which Christianity became an established and influential part of community life.
Uwomha Mary Itsuokor may not have received the recognition she deserved during her lifetime, but the memories of her prayers, preaching, prophecies, sacrifices, and unwavering faith have survived through those who knew her and through the generations that came after her.
May the soul of this unsung prophetess continue to rest in peace. And when the roll is called up yonder, may she indeed occupy a special place among those who faithfully served God and helped open the way for the gospel in Ogbona.
