Matina Agawua, a woman from Yelwata, a remote settlement in Nasarawa State, slept with her own biological son in order to test her fertility after failing to get pregnant for her husband in her second marriage.
Matina had only one son from her first marriage and decided to remarry after spending 13 years as a widow. However, for more than six years after getting married to her second husband, an indigene of Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa state identified simply as Mr. James, she could not conceive a child. Matina was under pressure from her husband, who was threatening to end their relationship if she could not conceive a baby.
Matina suspected that her husband was the reason for their inability to conceive, but he refused to go for a medical check-up. She decided to go for a fertility test on her own and the result showed that there was nothing wrong with her fertility. In order to further convince herself of her fertility status, she decided to have a secret affair with her own son, who was a student in Akwanga.
Matina claimed that she did not want to fall in love with an outsider and betray her husband or make him feel bad. She visited her son regularly and got intimate with him, which resulted in them having sex. Matina felt guilty and embarrassed after the incident but warned her son to keep it a secret.
Matina did not have sex with her husband for about three months, and the marriage was on the verge of collapse until they sought counselling and were able to resolve their issues. The incident was a taboo and Matina had to cope with the emotional turmoil that came with it.
