Twins Oladapo Taiwo (L) and Oladapo Kehinde, 21, pose for photographs during the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
IGBO-ORA, Nigeria—Twins appear to be unusually abundant in Nigeria’s southwestern city of Igbo-Ora.
Nearly every family here has twins or other multiple births, says local chief Jimoh Titiloye.
For the past 12 years, the community has organized an annual festival to celebrate twins. This year’s event, held earlier this month, included more than 1,000 pairs of twins and drew participants from as far away as France, organizers said.
There is no proven scientific explanation for the high rate of twins in Igbo-Ora, a city of at least 200,000 people 135 kilometers (83 miles) south of Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. But many in Igbo-Ora believe it can be traced to women’s diets. Alake Olawunmi, a mother of twins, attributes it to a local delicacy called amala which is made from yam flour.
John Ofem, a gynecologist based in the capital, Abuja, says it very well could be “that there are things they eat there that have a high level of certain hormones that now result in what we call multiple ovulation.”
While that could explain the higher-than-normal rate of fraternal twins in Igbo-Ora, the city also has a significant number of identical twins. Those result instead from a single fertilized egg that divides into two—not because of hyperovulation.
Twins Obasekore Damilade (L) and Obasekore Damitola, 28, attend the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Oladapo Taiwo (L) and Oladapo Kehinde, 21, pose for photographs holding relative's twins during the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Taiwo Asisi (L) and Kehinde Asisi, 13, students of Igbo-Ora grammar secondary school attends the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Taiwo Lateef (L) and Kehinde Lateef, 13, from Igbo-Ora town and students of Igbo-Ora grammar secondary school attend the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Kehinde Adamolekun (L) and Taiwo Adamolekun, 28, attend the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Taiwo Ojeniyi (L) and Kehinde Ojeniyi, 27, attends the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Taye, Tijani (L) and Kehinde Tijani, 48, pose for a photo at the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Taiwo Adebowale (L) and Kehinde Adebowale, 47, attend the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Kehinde Dahunsi (L) and Taiwo Dahunsi, 65, attend the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins Kehinde Oyediran (L) and Taiwo Oyediran, 52, cassava farmers from Igbo-ora attend the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
Twins wait to perform during the annual twins festival in Igbo-Ora, southwest Nigeria, on Oct. 8, 2022. Sunday Alamba/AP Photo
