Muhammadu Bello Abubakar Masaba Bida also known as Mohammed Bello Abubakar during his lifetime was known to have stirred up controversy in 2008 in his hometown, Bida.
Masaba was sent to prison in 2008 when he refused to divorce 82 out of his 120 wives.
In the northern part of Nigeria where sharia law is upheld, a man is allowed to marry as many as four wives provided he can treat them equally.
Masaba married 120 wives, divorced 10, and fathered 203 children. At the time of his death in 2017, some of his wives were believed to be pregnant.
Masaba was as a teacher and Imam. He lived in an entire apartment block with his family.
Masaba claimed that he never pursued his wives and that he was sought by them due to his reputation as a healer.
Most of his wives were younger than 30 years of age, and a few younger than his elder children.
In interviews with Al Jazeera English, his wives claimed that he was a good husband and father.
During a prison interview Masaba told The Christian Science Monitor:
“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, I married 86 women and there is peace in the house – if there is peace, how can this be wrong?”
Interrogations and trials
After the death pronouncement on him by the Islamic group, Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the Bida Emirate Council and an assembly of Islamic leaders invited Masaba for interrogation.
Deliberations were given in Etsu Nupe’s palace Bida and the Etsu Nupe of Bida, Alhaji Yahya Abubakar read out a verdict saying that Masaba should divorce 82 of the 86 wives within 48 hours or leave the entire Nupe Kingdom as his safety could not be guaranteed within the kingdom.
At the expiration of the ultimatum, Masaba refused to divorce any of his wives and denied ever promising this.
Masaba was then arrested by the Islamic authorities and tried before a Sharia court.
Before his trial at the Sharia court, Police in Niger State gave him a clean bill, as the state command declared that nothing incriminating was found in his house.
The leader of the police team, that arrested the Islamic cleric in Bida before 27 September 2008, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr John Olayemi declared:
“We found nothing incriminating in his house. There was no knife, no pistol or skull in his house when we went to invite him to the headquarters for a chat.”
After a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered the release of Masaba from detention, he had 18 more children, having a total of 138 .
Masaba came into the limelight with another super polygamist, Ziona Chana of India in 2011.
As of May 2011, Masaba had 89 wives and 133 children while India’s Ziona Chana had 39 wives, 94 children, and 33 grandchildren.
In June 2012, Masaba had an interview with Jide Orintunsin where he said;
“Large number of wives? I only have 97 wives. I am still going to marry more. I will keep marrying them for as long 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 what I am doing is divine. It is an assignment and I will keep marrying till the end of time.
“I just want to advise those fighting against the number of my wives to stop because such people are waging war against God, their creator.”
Mohammed Bello Abubakar died at his home in central Niger state in 2017 after an undisclosed illness.
