There was confussion last Thursday in an examination hall at the Fati Lami Abubakar College of Legal and General Studies (FLACLGS) in Minna, Niger State, following some female students’ claim of being possessed by spirits. The exam ended abruptly because of the development. MAHMUD ABDULSALAM (200-Level Mass Communication) reports.
THERE was pin-drop silence in the examination hall; but all of a sudden, that peace was shattered as one female student after another claimed to be possessed by spirit. Second year students of the Department of Mass Communication of the Fati Lami Abubakar College of Legal and General Studies (FLACLGS) in Minna, the Niger State capital were writing an examination on Media Management when the confusion ensued.
Teachers and Corps members invigilating the examination were shocked by the development.
It all started with a deafening screech by a female student, after allegedly suffered asthma attack. As invigilators led her out of the hall, some other students also started behaving in an inexplicable manner.
The students, who claimed to have been possessed by spirits, tore their answer booklets as they started behaving funny. Their action frightened the invigilators, who hurriedly collected other students’ answer booklets and fled. The hall was thrown into commotion, as the ‘possessed’ students resorted to weird displays.
Things were almost getting out of hand before security officers moved in to restore order. When normalcy returned, it was found that some of the ‘possessed’ students were injured from the stampede accompanying their weird displays.
The ‘possessed’ students were taken to the mosque, where Ruqiyah (spiritual deliverance) was performed for them by the Amir (president) of the college’s chapter of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Aminu Aliyu Gado.
After the spiritual bath, Safina Mashkur, who claimed to be possessed by a genie, told CAMPUSLIFE that she was about attempting the last of three questions when the spirit arrested her.
She said: “Before I lost my consciousness, I could remember I was thinking about how to answer the last question. Then, I noticed my colleagues screaming and tearing their answer scripts. That was the last thing I remembered. I found myself in the mosque. I regained consciousness and saw myself surrounded by friends. They said I had just been delivered of spirits.”
Amina Baba Sule, who also underwent spiritual bath, described the incident as horrible. She said students had initially complained about genie invasion of the school to the authorities. She said: “It is time for the authorities to expedite action and ensure that the perennial evil spirit attack in the college does not happen again. This is not the first time students are encountering the genie problem.”
A Corps member, who invigilated the exam, told CAMPUSLIFE that she was shocked by the weird display. According to her, she initially thought the ‘possessed’ students would die, because of the stampede. She added that the weird displays confounded the invigilators, which was why they quickly collected the answer booklets and fled.
CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the claim of genie possession and attack has been of concern in the college community.
Some students alleged that there are spirits on the campus making their colleagues to behave abnormally. They said some of the ‘possessed’ students were usually restless and also engaged in extreme physical exertion. Some, they said, rolled naked on the ground after being possessed by the spirits.
On the possible cause of the problem, Gado said the victims may have intentionally lured the spirits by engaging in immoral acts and using cosmetics that attract genies.
On steps being taken by the MSSN to bind the spirits, Gado said the association had been advocating modesty and virtuousness among students, stressing that anyone that disobeyed divine injunctions would always incur Allah’s wrath.
He said: “Though we usually perform Ruqiyah for the possessed students by performing ablution and reciting Surat Ikhlas (pure intention). Afterwards, we will recite some special verses of the Holy Quran to cast out the genies. There is the need for Muslim sisters to be conscious of their Creator and be steadfast in seeking Allah’s guidance and in obeying divine doctrines.”
Shedding more light on the issue, the college’s Chief Imam, Mallam Yahya Muhammad, urged female students to stop putting on obscene attires and flaunting sensitive parts of their bodies.
He said: “Some of these students consult fortune-tellers, who invoke all kinds of spirit to bring fortunes to them. Some ignore toilet manners and that is where genies live.”
Yahya said genies can find their way into human beings through the mouth, hair and the anus, among others. He called on students to imbibe the teachings of Islam, adding: “It is the duty of every parent to inculcate good behaviour and moral in their female children. This is necessary to make them achieve piety.”
Mallam Abdullahi Muhammad Hassan, the course lecturer, said it was untrue that the ‘possessed’ students tore their answer booklets. He described the claim as “tissues of lies”, saying those peddling the rumour may want to use it to justify their failure in the course.
He advised students to embrace godliness, saying: “It would be good if female students who are prone to such kind of attack avoid wearing indecent clothes and heavy make-up.”
Husseina Ahmad Musa, MSSN Sisters’ Da’awah Coordinator, appealed to her colleagues to do away with anything that could attract genie.
She said: “When my fellow sisters find joy in disobeying religious teachings, they shouldn’t be expecting God’s guidance and mercies. As such, I appeal to every student to shun indecency and acts that can attract evil spirits to physically, emotionally or psychologically assault them.’’
Contacted, the Registrar, Alhaji Jibril Tsoho, said: “The management has been taking actions to check immoral dressing and indiscipline on the campus. We have stepped up our efforts to curb the vices. But I cannot comment on spiritual possession of any student.”
