A 56-year-old Islamic cleric, Yahya Nafiu, from Ilorin, Kwara State, has confirmed that his wife, Latoyossi Alake, has given birth to 11 babies.
Yahya shared that his wife, who is originally from Ajasse-Cotonou, delivered the babies at a traditional home in Porto-Novo, Benin Republic, between July 7 and August 14, 2024.
“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,” Yahya told the PUNCH in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.
He further explained, “The babies were delivered in two separate months, July 7 and August 14, at a traditional birth attendant home in Porto-Novo.”
Unfortunately, two of the babies were lost at birth, leaving nine surviving children. Yahya expressed concern about the financial challenges his family is now facing due to the cost of caring for the babies.
He said, “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 a police report.”
Yahya appealed to both the federal and state governments, as well as kind-hearted individuals, to assist his family in this challenging time.
Yahya’s elder brother, Azakariyau Nafiu, also confirmed the news of the births. Meanwhile, the National President of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, Abdulmumini Abdulmalik, confirmed that the family hails from the Onikeke Compound in the Popo Giwa area of Ilorin.
