Mohammed Bello Abubakar
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Bello Abubakar, also known as Mohammed Bello Masaba, was an 84-year old Nigeria
n man who stirred up controversy in his hometown of Bida, Niger State
, when he married 86 wives, and fathered 170 children. Islamic scholars limit the number of wives a Muslim man can have to four wives, mandating they must be all treated equally. However, due to his extensive polygamy, and for being outspoken, he was charged under Sharia law and sent to prison.
Bello boasted:
Bello had worked as a teacher and Imam
during his life. He lived with his family in an entire apartment block. Bello claims that he never pursued his wives, and claims that they sought him out due to his reputation as a healer. Many of his wives were much younger than he was, and a few were younger than some of his elder children. In interviews with Al Jazeera English, his wives claimed that he was a good husband and father. Although the Quran states that a man may marry four wives, Bello claimed that when the Quran set a law, it must also set a punishment for offenders, and no punishment was given for this particular offense. Despite this, Bello was arrested in late 2008 by Islamic authorities and tried before a Sharia
court.
Thousands of protestors gathered to protest against his actions, and claimed that if he were released, they would not allow him to return to his home. Meanwhile, his wives announced their outrage at his arrest. At his trial, he was asked to divorce 82 of his wives. Due to his persistent refusal to do so, he was sentenced to death, but the sentence was lifted when he agreed to the mass divorce in early September 2008. However, he still faced eviction from his home. The case was reported throughout Nigeria and around the world, and angered many Nigerian Muslims. Following the case, Bello advised other men not to follow his example:
More recently, "the man with 86 wives" has reappeared in articles concerning an alleged plot to disenfranchise his family. Moreover, members of his family were prevented by thugs from registering to vote. Nine member of the Masaba family were injured by thugs whenever they attempted to register to vote.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n man who stirred up controversy in his hometown of Bida, Niger State
Niger State
Niger State is a state in the western part of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. The state capital is Minna, and other major cities are Bida, Kontagora, and Suleja. It was formed in 1976 when the then North-Western State was bifurcated into Niger State and Sokoto State.The state is named...
, when he married 86 wives, and fathered 170 children. Islamic scholars limit the number of wives a Muslim man can have to four wives, mandating they must be all treated equally. However, due to his extensive polygamy, and for being outspoken, he was charged under Sharia law and sent to prison.
Bello boasted:
"If God permits me, I will marry more than 86 wives. A normal human being could not marry 86 – but I can only by the grace of God," a defiant Bello Masaba told The Christian Science Monitor during a recent prison interview. "I married 86 women and there is peace in the house – if there is peace, how can this be wrong?"
Bello had worked as a teacher and Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
during his life. He lived with his family in an entire apartment block. Bello claims that he never pursued his wives, and claims that they sought him out due to his reputation as a healer. Many of his wives were much younger than he was, and a few were younger than some of his elder children. In interviews with Al Jazeera English, his wives claimed that he was a good husband and father. Although the Quran states that a man may marry four wives, Bello claimed that when the Quran set a law, it must also set a punishment for offenders, and no punishment was given for this particular offense. Despite this, Bello was arrested in late 2008 by Islamic authorities and tried before a Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
court.
Thousands of protestors gathered to protest against his actions, and claimed that if he were released, they would not allow him to return to his home. Meanwhile, his wives announced their outrage at his arrest. At his trial, he was asked to divorce 82 of his wives. Due to his persistent refusal to do so, he was sentenced to death, but the sentence was lifted when he agreed to the mass divorce in early September 2008. However, he still faced eviction from his home. The case was reported throughout Nigeria and around the world, and angered many Nigerian Muslims. Following the case, Bello advised other men not to follow his example:
"A man with ten wives would collapse and die, but my own power is given by Allah. That is why I have been able to control 86 of them," he told the BBC.
More recently, "the man with 86 wives" has reappeared in articles concerning an alleged plot to disenfranchise his family. Moreover, members of his family were prevented by thugs from registering to vote. Nine member of the Masaba family were injured by thugs whenever they attempted to register to vote.