Nigerian city celebrates its many twins with annual festival

By SUNDAY ALAMBA and CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

IGBO-ORA, Nigeria (AP) — Twins appear to be unusually abundant in Nigeria’s southwestern city of Igbo-Ora. Local chief Jimoh Titiloye says nearly every family in the city has twins or other multiple births. For the  past 12 years Igbo-Ora has held an annual international twins festival. This year more than 1,000 sets of twins took part in the event in Igbo-Ora, located 135 kilometers (83 miles) south of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos. There is no known scientific explanation the high rate of twins in Igbo-Ora, 135 kilometers (83 miles) south of Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. But many in the city believe it can be traced to women’s diets which include a local delicacy called amala that is made from yam flour.