Every child who grew up in Nigeria knows at least five different myths, and we were made to believe that they were real, mostly because some people, from the older generations, have experienced them in one way or another.
There were stories of the Bush Baby, Madam Koi Koi, Mami Wata, Jinn, reincarnation, etc. There were also some beliefs that whistling at night is bad because it attracts spirits, sleeping with legs facing the door or upside down, especially if you are sharing the bed with someone else is a taboo, some streams are dangerous after certain hours, crossing over a child meant that the child would have stunted growth, being circled by the fierce whirling wind was dangerous/deadly, and that it is forbidden to sweep at night.
These myths are widely believed in various parts of Nigeria and have been passed down from one generation to the next. They are mostly conveyed with strict warnings to adhere to them, and a lot of us have grown up subconsciously adhering to these myths.
One of the stories I heard when growing up was that in a populated place, like a school hostel, there were bound to be spirits; therefore, it wasn’t advisable to be out of your room alone in the middle of the night. The difference between this story and that of the Bush Babies is that the spirits dwell in the hostels, while the Bush Babies reside in the bush.
Click here to read more on the Nigerian myths https://wetalksound.co/blog/interviews/5-scary-myths-in-nigeria-we-were-told-as-kids
I never stayed in a school hostel until my university days, and in my four years of living in the hostel, some girls mentioned something about hearing voices at night, seeing things that they shouldn’t be seeing.
I wouldn’t have believed any of these if I hadn’t had an experience of my own.
In my first year at the university, some girls and I would assemble in the “Common Room” (a hostel reception area reserved for relaxation and hosting visitors) to read for a few hours at night before retiring to our separate rooms. It was usually from 10:00 pm till mostly past 11:00 pm. It wasn’t exactly planned, and while some others went out of the hostel completely to the school premises to read, some of us chose to use the Common Room.
It seemed less stressful because once you were done or tired, you could easily retire to your room for the rest of the night instead of waiting until dawn for the hostel to be opened.
According to the hostel rules, the doors were shut at 10:00 pm and opened for the day at 5:00 am.
Every time I went to the Common Room to read, and I noticed that others had started going back to their rooms, I would also leave, but this particular night was different.
I wanted to read some more.
So, even though they began to leave one after another, I stayed back. Soon, I was left alone at the Common Room, and this was almost midnight.
I continued to read until it was past 12, relying on my torchlight to see what I was reading as there wasn’t electricity that particular night.
Everywhere was completely dark, but I wasn’t bothered about it as I continued reading.
Then, I heard it.
The faint sound of someone walking towards me from behind.
I stopped reading and turned with my torchlight, thinking that it was a fellow hostel mate who was coming out to read, but I saw no one.
I shrugged it off.
Maybe it was just my ears playing tricks on me, so I continued reading in the dark.
After a few minutes, I heard the sound again. It was just like the first time, and when I turned, there wasn’t anyone.
Again, I shrugged it off.
However, the third time made me believe otherwise.
After I continued reading, I heard it again after a few minutes, but this time around, the walking sound was loud and clear, and more scary was the fact that I actually felt someone close to me from behind. I turned around with haste, flashing my torchlight to see who it was, but the entire Common Room was empty and eerily quiet.
Goosebumps were all over my skin instantly.
Fear gripped me.
I didn’t need anyone to tell me to leave the Common Room. I gathered my books and hurried to my room in fear.
For someone who never/rarely believed these stories being told, this personal experience shifted something inside of me that night, and it left me shaken and sorely afraid. When morning came, I narrated what I experienced to my roommates, and that was when I heard stories that had been there before I came to the hostel.
Apparently, there had been rumors of voices of people singing and clapping under the hostel stairs, which were just close to the Common Room. It made me wonder why I had never heard that story before that night. I probably wouldn’t have allowed myself to stay there alone and in the dark.
That was the last time I went to the Common Room to read until I graduated and left the school. Also, when I later heard some hostel mates narrate their experiences or what they heard, I didn’t think they were exaggerating or out of their minds.
What are some of the myths you grew up hearing?
Do you believe in myths?
Have you ever had a close experience that shaped your thinking about them?
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I believe in myths o,
I was a boarder in secondary school so I heard a lot about them.
They said there was this slimy dark man coming to the girls hostel to touch females breast through the window, he never got caught. The only person that had the courage to grab him couldn’t hold him because of his body. It sent shivers down my shine.
I lived off campus in my university days, I was seeing a movie at midnight when I heard a bush baby crying by my window, I quickly and quietly put off the movie and went to bed. I was so scared
Those things are real.
I don’t even want to narrate what we/I saw that night.
But yes, I saw it
We all saw the light flashing, but the light had no source.
These things are real.