Nigerian mothers have a reputation for sensing trouble before it even happens. They’ll suddenly tell you not to go somewhere, warn you about a person they’ve never met, or wake up from a strange dream and start praying for you. Most of the time, it feels like typical protective, dramatic mum behaviour. But sometimes, those instincts turn out to be incredibly accurate.

We spoke to 7 Nigerians who believe their mothers’ instincts saved them from bad luck, danger, or heartbreak. Their stories are proof that sometimes, it might be worth listening when a Nigerian mum pulls a warning from thin air.

“Obeying my mum’s instruction saved me from cultists” — Joshua*, M, 26

Joshua recounts how his mum’s quiet warning one Friday morning before school saved him from a world of hurt.

‘When I was in SS3, I loved playing football after school. On Fridays especially, I rarely went home once school was over. Instead, I hung back with friends and played football till I was completely exhausted. It became a routine and something that I looked forward to every weekend.

One Friday morning, my mum called me aside as I was preparing for school. She asked me not to stay back to play football that day and to come home immediately after school.

At first, I didn’t take her words seriously. It wasn’t her first time complaining about my love for football after classes. But that day, I couldn’t shake her tone. It had a strong sense of urgency, as if she could tell that something wasn’t right.

That evening, I was tempted to stay back, but I changed my mind and heeded my mum’s instructions at the last minute.  The next Monday, I found out what I had narrowly escaped. A serious clash between notorious cultists had broken out along the same route I usually took home after playing football.

Someone was fatally injured while others nursed serious injuries. The police arrested everyone who passed that route that evening as suspects. 

I couldn’t stop shaking when I heard this. I had also just turned 18, and looked mature for my age. The police could have easily mistaken me for one of the participants. Worse, I could have been harmed in the clash.

Looking back, I’m convinced my mum’s warning saved me from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. ”

“She insisted I go to the hospital even though I felt fine” — Halima, 28, F*

Halima says her mum’s persistence helped her catch a health issue before it became serious.

“In 2022, I  complained for weeks about mild chest discomfort, but I kept brushing it off as allergies or stress from work. My mum kept telling me to go to the hospital, but I didn’t think it was serious.

One evening, she called me and said she had been thinking about me all day and that I should please see a doctor. I laughed and told her I was fine, but she refused to let it go. She kept saying, ‘Just go and check so my mind can be at rest.’

Eventually, I gave in and finally went to the hospital the next day.

After a few tests, the doctor told me I had pneumonia that could have become much worse if I had waited longer. When I told my mum, she said she knew deep in her spirit that something was wrong. I’m glad I didn’t put it off until things got worse.”

“I narrowly missed getting caught up in a robbery” — Bola*, 19, M

Bola listened to his mum after she warned him not to leave the house. But that simple warning saved his life.

“One Saturday morning in 2021, I planned to visit a friend and pick up a textbook for an assignment we’d been given the previous Friday. I was all set to leave when my mother stopped me. She said something didn’t feel right and warned me not to leave the house that day.

I wasn’t happy about it at all. The textbook was important, and I couldn’t understand why she suddenly wanted me to stay back. I obeyed, but I sulked about it.

An hour later, everything changed. Gunshots rang out, and the entire neighbourhood fell into chaos as people ran and screamed. An armed robbery was happening right outside our house. We quickly shut our doors and stayed inside.

As we secured the house, I got the terrifying realisation that I would have been out there if I had ignored my mum. The robbery lasted four hours; there was no way I wouldn’t have gotten caught in the chaos on my way home. 

Sometimes, a mother just knows.”

“She saved me from unnecessary heartbreak” — Anneth*, 35, F

Anneth believes her mum’s timely dream saved her from a hurtful romance. 

“I met a guy while on a corporate assignment, and we became good friends. We had lunch a few times and he introduced me to people in his circle. Soon, he began wooing me and said he wanted us to be more than friends. He was persistent, so I started considering it. 

In December, he called to say he had bought me Christmas gifts, including a particular pair of shoes he was sure I’d love. He then invited me over to collect them.

On the day I planned to go, my mum came into my room around 4:00 a.m., praying and sweating. She woke me up and asked me to describe my friend to her. Before I said anything, she described him perfectly, even though she had never met him. She said she had dreamt about him performing strange incantations with the gifts he bought and warned me not to go or accept anything from him.

Later that morning, he started calling nonstop, asking when I would arrive. When I told him I couldn’t make it that day, he became angry and lashed out. His reaction felt extreme for something as small as postponing a visit. That moment convinced me to follow my mum’s advice and cut him off. ”

“She warned me about a friend who later betrayed me” — Ifeoma*, 33, F

For Ifeoma, her mum’s instincts helped her avoid serious trouble at work.

“When I moved to Lagos for work in my mid-20s, I became very close to a colleague. We hung out all the time, and I trusted her a lot. One holiday, she accompanied me to visit my family.

After we left, my mum casually asked if I was sure the girl was really my friend. She said something about her didn’t sit well with her spirit. I laughed it off because they had barely spoken. I told my mum she was just being overprotective.

A few months later, things started to unravel. That same friend began spreading rumours about me at work, insinuating that I was having an affair with our boss. At the height of it, she even tried to implicate me in a mistake she made on an important project. Thankfully, I had proof that cleared my name. It was shocking to realise my mum had sensed something I completely missed. I had to cut her off for my peace of mind.”

“My mum’s dream saved me from a snake” — Anthony*, 38, M

Anthony shares how a dream saved him from a nasty encounter with a snake.

“When I was seven, I followed my parents to my dad’s village for my grandfather’s burial. The morning after we arrived, before I went to play with my cousins, my mum warned me to come home before sunset. She said she had dreamt about a snake wrapping itself around my leg. 

I was scared of snakes, so her words rang in my head all day. However, I eventually got carried away. By the time I remembered my mum’s warning, twilight had already set in. I walked back home as fast as I could. 

A few yards from the gate, I stumbled on a tree root and fell. As I got up, I noticed something writhing by the base of the tree. It was the biggest python I’d ever seen, slowly wrapping itself around a goat. 

I screamed and ran as fast as my legs would allow. When I got home, I told my parents what I had seen, and a few men went out and killed the snake. They roasted and ate it that evening, but I was too shaken to try it. I didn’t leave my mother’s side for the rest of the funeral festivities. I just kept imagining if the snake had gotten hold of me instead of the goat. ”

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