A 56-year-old Islamic cleric, Yahya Nafiu, has called on the public for financial assistance after his wife conceived 11 babies.
Yahya, from Ilorin in Kwara State, said that his wife, Latoyossi Alake, a native of Ajasse-Cotonou, gave birth to the 11 babies in a traditional home in Porto-Novo in the Benin Republic.
He said the babies were born in two batches, between July 7 and August 14, 2024.
However, two of the babies died, leaving 9.
The elder brother of Nafiu and Imam of Iponrin, Alhaji Zakariyau Nafiu, told DailyTrust, “Nafiu was born and schooled in Ilorin before he left for Cotonou 19 years ago for business.
“Alake is his third wife and had two children for him before this incident; apart from the children from the other wives.
“But two babies are dead with nine left, and we don’t want further fatalities.”
He disclosed that they informed the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, and other relevant people about the multiple birth.
Yahya Nafiu also confirmed that he recently welcomed 11 children with his third wife.
“Yes, it is true that my wife gave birth to 11 children after a long period of pregnancy. They are eight boys and three girls.
“The babies were delivered in two separate months, July 7 and August 14, at a traditional birth attendant home in Porto-Novo,” Yahya told Punch in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, August 28.
He lamented that his family is facing financial challenges due to the amount of money required to take care of the babies.
“One other major challenge that we are now facing before we could bring the children home to Ilorin to show them to my parents is how to raise money for the marriage rites, as well as medical bill and police report,” he stated.
He appealed to both the federal and state governments as well as individuals to come to his aid.
Also reacting, the National President of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, Abdulmumini Abdulmalik, confirmed that the father of the children hails from Onikeke Compound, Popo Giwa area of Ilorin.
The story of the birth of the children has raised questions from social media users.