Mohammed Masaba, 93-year-old Nigerian Islamic cleric who married 97 wives is dead

Niger State-based Islamic preacher and traditional healer who married 97 wives, Mohammed Masaba, has died. He was age 93.

His Personal Assistant, Alhaji Mutairu Salawudeen Bello, who confirmed Masaba’s death, said that the preacher died in his residence in Bida, Niger State, on Saturday, January 28th, after a brief illness. He would be buried today at 10:AM.

"From Allah we come, to Him we shall all return; we announce the death of Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Bello Masaba this afternoon. He was aged 93, and died after a brief illness," Bello said. Masaba married a total of 107 women and later divorced 10. He was said to have fathered at least 187 children from his wives. He was detained in 2008 for violating Sharia law by marrying more than 4 wives. Influential institutions like Jama'atu Nasiru-Islam (JNI), the Bida Emirate Council and Islamic leaders had at different times spoken on his extreme polygamy and urged him to divorce some of his many wives and retain four which is the number allowed by Islam. He failed to obey the order by the Sharia Court in 2008, which said that he should let go of 82 of the 86 wives he had then. An Islamic court sent him to prison and the case dragged into an Abuja High Court. He was released after 57 of the wives said they married him willingly, adding that he was a good husband and father. In one of his last interviews, the famous polygamist vowed to continue to marry more wives until he dies. "I will keep marrying them as long as I am alive. Whoever is fighting me because of my wives or love life, such an individual has missed it. Left for me, I would have married maybe two wives, but I will keep marrying till the end of time. I just want to advise those fighting against the number of wives to stop because such people are waging war against God, their creator."