A Nigerian man has been left to raise his five sets of twins after his wife fled their marital home. 

The wife left after her parents complained that she was having too many twins.

Ayopo Ogunleye told the BBC that he had not been expecting twins the first time his wife conceived and was surprised when he was called from the hospital.

“When I heard that my wife had given birth, I asked if it was a boy or girl, and they said I had twins.”

He said it was a dream come true for him.

“I had been praying about it from childhood, I gave thanks to God. I hugged my wife and congratulated her,” he told BBC. 

The Yoruba community, mainly found in western Nigeria, has one of the highest rates of twin births in the world.

Twins are called “Ibeji” and culturally they believe they have to be followed by a single birth – known as “Idowu”.

But Mr Ogunleye said each time his wife became pregnant, it was twins.

“Second time twins, third time twins, fourth twins, fifth twins,” he said.

Ogunleye, who become something of a local celebrity in western Nigeria, said the  reason for having so many twins remains a mystery to him. 

He added that he does not eat anything special or do anything differently to others.