Osama baby craze hits Nigeria

Some see Osama Bin Laden as a hero A nursing mother in Calabar, Cross River state in south-eastern Nigeria, has fled home with her newly-delivered baby because her husband decided to name their son after Osama Bin Laden.

The Nigerian newspaper, The Vanguard, says the woman, whose name was not given, has decided to seek a divorce unless her husband changes his mind about their son's name.

This comes as reports from mainly Muslim northern Nigeria say that there has been a massive increase in the number of baby boys called Osama - after Bin Laden.

In one hospital in Kano, where there were celebrations after the 11 September attacks, seven out of 10 babies are said to be being given the name Osama.

The Calabar woman is a Christian and her husband is a Muslim.

But the BBC's Sola Odunfa in Lagos says that religion has little to do with this marital discord - it has more to do with Nigerian traditional beliefs in the influence a name has over a person's behaviour.

No ceremony

The woman said: "Osama Bin Laden is a criminal with an inclination towards shedding innocent blood."

She fears her son will take after him if he bears Bin Laden's name.

Her husband feels the same way about names.

He said the man the United States holds responsible for the suicide attacks is "a hero who taught Americans the lesson of their lives."

As far as he is concerned, his son's name is Osama Bin Laden, even though he was denied the opportunity to perform a formal naming ceremony.

Our correspondent says that in Nigeria, parents give a lot of thought to what name to give their children.

'Osama season'

The name reflects either the circumstances of the baby's birth or the values not only of the parents but also the extended family.

That is why in the Calabar couple, the wife would deny her son a father and her husband is willing to lose his family rather than give in to the other.

In Kano, one hospital worker said there was "a season of Osama babies".

"Osama Bin Laden is my hero," said 36-year-old Sadiq Ahmed, father of a baby Osama.

"My wife gave birth to our third child on 15 September and I named him Osama in honour of Osama Bin Laden who has proved to the world that only Allah is invincible, by exposing America to shame despite its claim of being the strongest nation on earth."