These ghosts stories were basically urban legends, used to scare young people from doing certain things. In Nigeria, these ghost stories are like modern oral folklore, passed from generation to generation.
Here are some of the most popular stories which we heard growing up and which, more than we’d like to admit, still terrify us a little bit.
Bushbabies
The bushbaby is a myth used to scare school students into minding their business and staying indoors at night. The bush babies apparently sounds like a normal baby or a toddler crying, sometimes the kid will be calling for help, and the good Samaritan who goes outside to help the little one, disappears, never to be seen again.
Madam Koi Koi
This is the legend of Madam Koi Koi. There are several stories but this is the most popular one. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful teacher in a secondary school. She was known for her beauty and her red heels. Whenever she walked in the hallways her shoes will make one sound ‘Koi Koi’. After she was fired from the school, she died on her way home. Before she died she swore that she would have her revenge on the school and its students.
Not too long after, students of the secondary school said at night they would hear a ‘Koi Koi’ sound in the hallways of their dormitories after lights out, almost like the clicking of heels on a floor.
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Oroma/Rebecca
Not exactly a ghost, but it is believed that this schoolgirl always had the finest, most beautifully made and neatest hair. However, whenever she was asked who made her hair, she would never say. One night, one of her roommates woke up in the middle of the night and let out a scream when she saw the girl headless, plaiting her own head.
Jinn
No-one knows what a jinn looks like but it is believed they are creatures that are like humans. School children of Islamic upbringing are usually the ones who believe in this myth. They are said to only reveal themselves to people who seek them out.
Mami Wata
If you’re familiar with the urban legend of mermaids, then it is very easy to understand who a mami-wata is. They are believed to extremely beautiful and attractive woman who scour the earth looking for men to devour and move back into the water at night.
