Nigerian man with ‘97 wives, 203 children’ dies

ABUJA: A Nigerian man who rose to fame for marrying more than 100 women has died at the age of 93, according to local media reports.

Mohammed Bello Abubakar became a controversial figure in Bida, Niger state, for his unusual interpretation of the Muslim’s holy book – that a man could take as many wives as he was able to comfortably accommodate.

It is not the first time media outlets in Nigeria have reported Mr Bello’s death – but BBC News said a large crowd attended his funeral on Sunday morning.

His personal assistant, Mutairu Salawudeen Bello, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) his employer had died at home on Saturday “following a brief illness”.

“Baba (Mr Bello) told us that his time was up; he personally told me that he had completed his divine assignment and was ready to meet his creator.”

Reports of the precise number of Mr Bello’s wives have varied in different reports. While the BBC says that he had “at least 86”, Nigeria’s Punch newspaper reports he has married a total of 107 women and divorced 10, meaning that he had 97 wives.

Some reports said that he was survived by 203 children.