Port Harcourt, Nigeria|August 17, 2026| Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos
The world’s only surviving nonuplets, whose extraordinary arrival in 2021 made global medical history, are preparing for their next major milestone as they gear up to begin primary school.
The nine siblings: five girls named: Kadidia, Fatouma, Hawa, Adama, and Oumou, alongside four boys named Mohammed VI, Oumar, Elhadji, and Bah, were born on May 4, 2021, to Halima Cissé and her husband Abdelkader Arby, a sailor in the Malian Navy. Conceived naturally without fertility assistance, their delivery shattered medical records and captured global attention.
The journey began in Mali, where initial ultrasound scans led local doctors to believe Cissé was carrying septuplets. Recognizing the immense medical risks associated with such a high-order multiple pregnancy, the Malian government intervened, arranging for Cissé to be flown to the Ain Borja Clinic in Casablanca, Morocco, for specialized care.
During a delicate Caesarean delivery at 30 weeks involving a team of over 30 medical professionals, surgeons made an astonishing discovery: two additional infants hidden beneath the others. Weighing between 500 grams and one kilogram at birth, the babies faced severe risks of organ failure and life-threatening complications typical of extreme prematurity.
Through round-the-clock intensive care, incubator support, and medical monitoring in Morocco, all nine infants defied odds that had historically proven fatal for nonuplet births. Their survival was officially certified by Guinness World Records as the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.
After spending 19 months under specialized medical supervision in Casablanca, the family returned home to Mali in late 2022 to a national celebration.
Today, the nine children are thriving in good health and demonstrating vibrant personalities as they transition from toddlerhood into formal education. Their mother notes that while managing nine distinct personalities brings daily chaos, the siblings share a deep bond as they prepare to step into the classroom together.
Amidst this global wonder, West Africa continues to stand as the epicenter of multiple births. Nigeria, in particular, maintains the highest rate of twin and multiple births in the world. At the heart of this phenomenon is Igbo-Ora, a town in Oyo State often celebrated as the “Twin Capital of the World,” where twin birth rates reach an astonishing 45 to 50 sets per 1,000 live births, roughly four times the global average, a phenomenon researchers attribute to a combination of genetic predispositions and local environmental factors.
Fr. Dr Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos
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