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.
“Normally, I would’ve questioned how he knew that, but then he tapped my shoulder and ordered me to follow him to help the man. My body just froze. I lost control. I couldn’t stop myself; I just kept following them,” Gbadebo recalled.
However, help came when a female vendor in the area, seemingly sensing what was about to unfold, signalled for him not to follow the suspects.
“As soon as I stopped looking at them, I regained control of myself. I pretended I wanted to buy something and quickly ran away from the scene,” Gbadebo said.
‘Touch and follow’
Describing the criminal use of hypnosis to rob people of their valuables as ‘touch and follow,’ e-hailing cab driver, Joseph Mfere, explained that such criminals often use decoys to lure in their victims.
“These criminals observe you first and figure out what you’ll be most interested in. If you’re a woman, they might approach you as seers, claiming they can help with issues like miscarriages, barrenness, or marital problems. “If you’re a man, they’ll steer the conversation towards money, contracts, or gadgets. These are dangerous people who can touch you, making you lose control of your senses.
“The first time I encountered them, they promised me laptops and BlackBerry phones, so I went with them. But I still had my willpower intact. When I realised they were frauds, I wanted to leave. They tried to convince me to stay, then resorted to threats, warning me that if I left, I would go mad or die because the magic they’d performed would have negative consequences. But their tactics didn’t work on me. I walked away,” he told Saturday PUNCH.
Although modern hypnosis is considered a safe therapeutic tool, its long and complex history has seen it used across Africa, Europe, Asia, and beyond.
“Hypnotherapy is different from hypnosis performed for entertainment, such as on stage,” said a psychologist, Kolawole Afolabi.
“Stage hypnosis is done purely for fun and doesn’t involve the same deep relaxation as hypnotherapy. Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis isn’t like sleep and doesn’t cause someone to lose consciousness. Hypnotised subjects often respond more readily to suggestions, which is why hypnosis can be an effective tool in therapy to change behaviour.”
‘I lost consciousness’
Last week, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kwara State Command, rescued a 400-level student from Abubakar Audu University, Ayangba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, who was found wandering naked.
The 19-year-old English Education undergraduate, identified as Fauziyah (surname withheld), was allegedly kidnapped in Ayangba, hypnotised, and later dumped in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
The state commandant of NSCDC, Dr. Umar Muhammed, said the student was discovered by residents of the Ajegunle-Isale community on Egbejila Road in Ilorin, on the morning of December 2.
Muhammed stated, “Fauziyah is no longer coherent in speech, which suggests the traumatic experiences she endured while with the kidnappers. She was found naked, and some kind-hearted Samaritans in Ajegunle-Isale, Egbejila Road, Ilorin provided her with clothes. We, as a command, have tried to comfort her.”
When interrogated, Fauziyah said she could not recall how she ended up in Kwara State from Kogi, but she remembered, “One of the books I was carrying dropped, and as I bent down to pick it up, I lost consciousness.”
The commandant revealed that the NSCDC was set to release her to one Mallam Salihu Aliu, who claimed to be her uncle and was authorised by the family to act on their behalf.
In a more bizarre twist, in 2019, Obinna Ezenwaka testified before the Lagos State Special Offences Court about how a Lagos-based prophet, Cletus Ilongwo, hypnotised and defrauded him.He revealed that Ilongwo entangled him in an animal sacrifice, and after hypnotising him, ordered him to transfer millions of naira into a bank account provided by the prophet.
Similarly, in 2017, the NSCDC, Lagos State Command, raided a human trafficking camp in Mowe, Ogun State, run by a self-proclaimed pastor, Abraham Roland.
The suspect was reported to have hypnotised and detained youths, many of whom were seeking admission into university. It was revealed that the victims were allegedly selected from his tutorial centre in Kosofe, Lagos.
Roland was also accused of sexually assaulting some of the young women held in the camp for periods ranging from three to five years.
One of his victims, a young woman named Busayo, reportedly told her parents that she needed to obtain “clearance from the leader” whenever they asked her to return home after spending a year living in Roland’s camp.
Discussing the legitimate uses of hypnosis, certified psychotherapist and cognitive behavioural therapy specialist, Mr Micheal Jacob explained to Saturday PUNCH that positive hypnosis is employed by trained professionals to address issues like stress, anxiety, pain management, and breaking bad habits.
“It’s a focused state of awareness, where the person is highly receptive to suggestions – but they’re not under anyone’s control, and they can’t be made to do anything against their will,” Jacob clarified.
He, however, acknowledged that hypnosis can be misused by criminals, who manipulate others using psychological techniques.
“Just as any phenomenon can be abused, hypnosis can be too. Even medical drugs are subject to abuse,” he concluded.
Jacob further stated that people who have experienced hypnosis in harmful ways need psychological support.
“First and foremost, it’s about rebuilding trust in themselves and in their ability to make choices. Therapy, especially trauma-informed therapy, can help them unpack what happened, regain control over their thoughts and actions, and heal from any damage done to their sense of self.
“Cognitive Behavioural Therapy could also be particularly helpful because it addresses distorted thinking patterns. It’s also important to build a support system that helps them feel empowered again. Other therapies like MCBT, ACT, EMDR, and Somatic Therapy can also be deployed. A simple mindfulness meditation at home could also help,” Jacob added.
Misused traditional practices
Checks by Saturday PUNCH revealed that ‘touch and follow,’ which effectively describes hypnosis, was listed as one of the services provided by some traditionalists on social media.
Other advertisements featured oriental shrines and temples, along with rings and remanufactured powders said to induce the ‘touch and follow’ effect in people.
In a Facebook group named Spiritual Solution Temple, rings, swords, native padlocks, and other items were touted as having the power to “dominate people’s minds” and attract the opposite sex.
In another Facebook group named White Magic Solution Centre, various posts and adverts invited patrons to use oils and specially formulated mixtures to control and defraud “clients.”
But Saturday PUNCH could not independently verify the authenticity of these spiritual items as advertised.
A traditionalist, simply identified as Ifadare, told our correspondent that hypnotised people could be cured if certain native preparations were made for them.
He explained that many of those who use hypnosis to defraud people are solitary practitioners, who don’t follow the rules that guide indigenous practices.
“These solitary practitioners mix all sorts of things to achieve their aim and misuse traditional practices for bad purposes. That is why, in Yoruba spirituality, we distinguish carefully in the terms we use for practitioners.
“Ifa adherents are called Babalawo, while those devoted to Osanyin (the patron of healing) are called Onísègùn. These practitioners are guided by the ethical foundations of their practice.
“But those solitary practitioners I mentioned are called Adahune in Yoruba. These are random people who know one or two things from here and there, and they believe they can use these to hypnotise people and dupe them.”
Caution is key
An Uyo-based baker, Precious Etuk, posted on X, revealing how she was hypnotised and allegedly robbed of over N500,000 on September 24.
“They took everything – money from my customers’ cake orders, my phone, and my power bank. I was supposed to make a delivery today, and now I don’t even know what to do.
“I’ve been crying non-stop, and honestly, I don’t know how to handle this. I’m struggling to keep it together. I just feel lost and completely helpless. I don’t even know how to ask, but I desperately need help. I need support in any way, encouragement, prayers, financial help, anything at all,” she wrote.
Warning her readers against the danger of falling victim to fraudsters, she added, “People are using black magic to hypnotise and rob others, and I never thought something like this could happen to me.
“Please, if you’re taking public transport, like a commercial motorcycle (keke), be really careful. Don’t start any conversations with strangers about foreign goods, politics, or anything – they lure you in, and before you know it, you’re under their spell.”
“I’ve heard that it’s usually a man and a woman working together, and you wouldn’t even suspect them. Please stay safe, stay alert, and pray for protection. It feels like nowhere is safe anymore.”