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By: Manoah Kikekon
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| The father Alfa Yahaya Nafiu and the surviving babies |
A Nigerian father, following the birth of his wife's eleven children in Cotonou, Benin Republic, sent home a heartfelt plea for financial assistance.
Yahaya Nafiu, 56, is looking for assistance so that his family can continue to care for the infants and their mother.
The 54-year-old wife of Mr. Nafiu, the Missioner of the Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) in Port Novo, Ajasse, and Cotonou in the neighbouring West African nation, claimed that the babies were delivered in two batches. Seven days later, on August 14, the second set of six came. The first set arrived on August 7.
According to the father, both times the babies were delivered by a birth attendant.
The kids included eight males and three females, however two of the girls died during delivery.
According to Mr Nafiu, the remaining nine are in good health. However, he said that he struggled to meet the high financial costs of caring for them and their mother.
"My wife experienced unusual stomach motions a few days after giving birth to the first set of children. After a scan at the hospital, the doctor discovered that she was carrying another set of children, prompting them to contact the original birth attendant, and the next set of five infants were delivered," Mr Nafiu stated.
According to him, the pregnancy lasted more than three years before the birth.
He claimed that the hospital was unable to determine his wife's pregnancy position, therefore doctors were unable to perform a Caesarean section. The cleric attributed the event to the doctors being under the grip of an evil spirit.
Mr Nafiu stated that he had several children before the advent of the decuplets, and his wife also had children from a previous marriage.
Abdulmumini Abdulmalik, national president of IEDPU, stated that Mr. Nafiu is from Onikeke Compound in Ilorin's Popo Giwa region. The organisation is seeking assistance for decuplets.
“History is repeating itself in Ilorin. A few years after the end of World War 1, about a century ago, history was made in Ilorin when a woman gave birth to decuplets (10 babies at a single birth),” Mr Abdulmalik said.
According to the IEDPU head, the area of the first reported instance became known as Ita Goma, or the Arena of Decuplets.
He was overjoyed that an Ilorin diaspora resident had once again been blessed with decuplets.
"While welcoming the decuplets and congratulating the parents on this uncommon blessing, we rejoice with Mai Martaba, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during whose reign this glorious history of an Ilorin indigene having decuplets repeating self" , according to him.
Mr Abdulmalik urged the government and citizens of the Ilorin Emirate to financially support Mr Nafiu so that he could care for the newborns and their mother.