My family carries so many secrets and scandals, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. It would honestly make a great Nollywood film. A full 10-part series, at least.

But there is one moment involving my aunt that I will never forget, even though I was very young at the time, no older than seven or eight.

I grew up in Nigeria and on that particular day, I was at home with my siblings. We were all gathered in a room, either playing or watching TV, I can’t remember exactly. At some point, I left the room and walked towards the kitchen to get some water.

My aunt (my dad’s sister), who was staying with us at the time, was standing in the kitchen, staring at a pot on the stove. She wasn’t moving. Just standing there, completely still, focused on this closed pot.

I stopped just before entering the kitchen. Something about the moment made me hold back. I stayed where I was, watching silently.

Suddenly, she opened the pot. Then she reached into her dress and pulled out something she had tucked inside her bra. It looked like a small white pouch. She poured or sprinkled its contents into the pot. I couldn’t see exactly what it was, but I saw her do it.

I didn’t go into the kitchen. I didn’t want her to see me, and she didn’t notice me either. I simply turned around, went back to the room with my siblings, and said nothing.

That evening, we all ate the food from that pot. It was beans. I don’t remember noticing anything unusual about the taste or texture.

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When it all became clear…

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At the time, I didn’t understand what I had witnessed, and I never told anyone about it. But as I got older and became more aware of certain darker aspects of Nigerian culture, it slowly began to make sense to me.

In the weeks, months, and years that followed, my family went through countless tragedies and hardships. It felt relentless. I won’t go into those details now, perhaps that’s for another submission (I have many stories!)

But one thing I am certain of is this: What I saw in that kitchen was not ordinary. I believe my aunt carried out witchcraft on my family that very day.