PUNCH
A 56-year-old Islamic cleric based in Ajasse-Cotonou in the Benin Republic, Alfa Yahya Nafiu, has confirmed that his wife delivered 11 babies in Nigeria’s neighbouring country between July and August this year.
Yahya, an indigene of Onikeke compound, Popo Giwa area, Ilorin, Kwara State capital, said his wife, whose name was given as Chognika Latoyossi Alake, a native of Ajasse-Cotonou, gave birth to the 11 babies in a traditional birth attendant’s home in Porto Novo in Benin Republic between July 7 and August 14, 2024.
He however lamented that two of the 11 children were lost at birth leaving the rest nine surviving.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Yahya said, “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’s home in Porto Novo. She gave birth to six children in July and the rest five in August. We lost two of the children at birth. One out of the first six died while one of the last five children also died but I’m grateful to Allah that the rest nine children and their mother are alive”, he said.
He, however, lamented that his family was having financial challenge due to the huge amount of money required in taking care of the babies and their mother as well as transporting the babies to Ilorin.
“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 bills and police report”, Yahya said.
He appealed to both the Federal and Kwara State governments as well as well-to-do people in society to come to his aid by giving him financial assistance to take care of the babies whom he described as a favour from Allah.
