PUNCH
In this report, Victor Ayeni delves into the chilling world of criminal hypnosis—a sinister tool used by criminals to rob, harm, and sexually assault their victims. He uncovers how this mind-altering technique is weaponised to manipulate and control unsuspecting individuals, leaving behind haunting psychological scars
On a fateful day in April 2013, Toyin Obadina’s world came crashing down like a house of cards, never to remain the same again.
As the 31-year-old recounted the incident to Saturday PUNCH, her voice quivered like a fragile thread stretched too thin.
At the time, she was a student in a nursing school in Ile-Ife, Osun State, and was trying to recover from her father’s death after a brief illness.
On this bright Friday afternoon, as Obadina walked home from the market with a newly purchased fabric, a vehicle pulled up beside her.
Recounting what happened Obadina said, “There were two occupants in the car; one was a lady and the other a man. The lady had something like a white cloth wrapped around her head like she was a traditionalist.
“They both came out of the car and asked for directions to a certain street, which I knew was far away and I described the way to them. Then the lady told me, ‘You just lost your father,’ and I answered, ‘Yes.’ I was surprised how she knew.
“She also asked if I was a student and I answered in the affirmative. This woman warned that the spirit of death was coming for me next and I needed prayers. I was afraid but she assured me that she had the power to help me ward off the looming evil.”
According to Obadina, the strange woman and her accomplice demanded that she bring her phone, laptop, and all the money in her account.
She recalled that with time, memories of what happened after encountering the two strange individuals became increasingly unclear.
“I remember they asked me to touch an object they showed me and pat my head with it before I handed over my phone and laptop for prayers,” she said.
“I can’t recall where they said they were going, but they promised to return everything to me at school once they had completed the spiritual cleansing.”
After parting with her prized possessions, Obadina reportedly returned to school, entered her room without speaking to anyone, and fell into a deep sleep.
A few hours later, one of her colleagues approached her hostel bunk to wake her up, asking where her laptop was. This sparked a heated argument, as Obadina insisted she had no memory of taking her colleague’s laptop.
“The argument attracted other students, who demanded that I return the girl’s laptop. I then shared the bizarre experience I had with the two strangers earlier that day. They all shouted that I had been robbed with ‘juju.’”
When the matter was brought to the attention of the school authorities, an investigation was launched. CCTV footage from the school premises revealed that Obadina had walked out of the school twice that day: the first time with her own laptop, and the second time with the girl’s laptop.
“I was hypnotised, and I didn’t even know it,” she said, breaking down in tears.
The ordeal not only plunged Obadina into unexpected debt, but it also impacted her academic life and left her feeling distrustful of people for a long while.
Minds put to sleep
Much like the fabled Pied Piper of Hamelin, many Nigerians have recounted chillingly experiences similar to that of Obadina.
They tell of encounters with strangers who seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the bustling streets of cities, asking for directions or revealing eerie information that could only have been known through supernatural means.
In many cases, a second accomplice emerges, subtly persuading the unsuspecting victim to assist the first stranger – a calculated tactic designed to make the target more susceptible to manipulation.
Those who fall completely into the trap often describe being hypnotised—placed into a trance-like state where they are compelled to empty their bank accounts or hand over their most valuable possessions, or even those of their family members.
Based on the crimes they commit, these perpetrators have been labelled as robbers, kidnappers, rapists, and ritual killers.
Victims often report experiencing a sense of disorientation, as though time and space were blotted out, believing every word the strangers said, and complying with whatever bizarre plan was devised—no matter how outrageous it seemed.
“It felt like my mind was put to sleep, and I was no longer in control of it,” Gbenga Meduoye, another victim, told Saturday PUNCH.
“The last thing I remembered was walking through Oshodi when a man approached me and spoke French. I replied in English, telling him I didn’t understand him.
“Suddenly, another man joined us and asked what the problem was. I explained, and he urged me to help the first man, claiming he came in from Cotonou, was stranded and needed my assistance. That’s how I ended up following them.
“When we reached Cele Bus Stop, still trying to help, they started telling me about a magical chemical that could wash paper and turn it into money. To cut a long story short, they asked me for my mother’s jewellery and my debit card. It wasn’t until I got home that I snapped out of it,” Meduoye recalled.
In popular culture, hypnotists are believed to induce a trance-like mental state in their subjects, causing them to forget any actions they were instructed to carry out while under hypnosis.
Saturday PUNCH learned that a hypnotised person’s eyes may appear transfixed, their movements robotic, and their speech could be monotonous or rehearsed.
For many Nigerians who believe in the criminal use of hypnosis, the hypnotist is thought to possess supernatural powers that allow them to control how long the victim remains in this sleep-like state.
Recounting an experience similar to Meduoye’s, a Lagos resident, Nelson Okon, shared how he was led to Ikotun, a densely populated part of Lagos by two strange men who approached him.
“One of them was speaking French, and his accomplice told me that the Nigeria Customs Service seized his goods. Then, he told me that if I helped him, he would show me some special paper that, when washed, would turn into fresh N1,000 notes.
“I was curious and followed them, like a lamb to the slaughter. After showing me what I wanted to see, they threatened that I would die if I didn’t give them money. I withdrew everything I had in my account and handed it over. It all happened so quickly. I still regret it to this day,” Okon added.
Interestingly, he revealed to Saturday PUNCH that this was not the only time he had encountered these culprits.
He recounted another experience, “One day, while walking down the street, one of them said to me, ‘You have N5m in your account; I can help you get richer.’ I shouted at him, and he quickly walked away.”
Rasheed Gbadebo, on the other hand, was coming from a friend’s place one afternoon, when he was approached by a man at the under-bridge side of Pen Cinema, Agege.
The man asked for directions to a hospital, which Gbadebo didn’t know, and he continued on his way.
To his surprise, the man ran after him and insisted that he help him find the hospital. Despite apologising for being unable to assist, a young man approached them.
“He asked what the previous guy wanted, and I told him. Then he launched into a long story, most of which I can’t recall.
“He ended by saying he knew where the hospital was and that we should help each other. He pointed to a nylon bag in the man’s hand, saying it contained a material worth over N800,000 and that if we helped him, we’d each get our share.
