Shock as Nigerian woman exposes new kidnapping tactic

In a gripping account shared on social media platform X, a Nigerian woman has narrated how her quick thinking and intuition saved a young man from what appeared to be a kidnapping and attempted scam.

According to the user, she was heading out to get her nails done when she noticed a young man walking behind two elderly men. Something about the scene struck her as odd—she said she instantly felt a strong pull, almost spiritual, to intervene.

Sensing the young man was in danger, she decided to follow them discreetly. As they approached a junction, one of the elderly men suddenly branched off in another direction, leaving the other to continue with the boy, unaware that his partner had abandoned the mission. This made the lone man visibly nervous when he noticed only the young man behind him.

The woman, already alerting others nearby, quickly moved with the help of local residents to confront the man. Upon questioning, the suspect initially refused to speak. However, after a few stern confrontations—described by some witnesses as involving minor physical force—he reportedly broke down and pleaded to be released, admitting involvement in a notorious scam known as Palapala.

According to the suspect’s confession, Palapala is a con in which scammers pretend to magically transform paper into money using chemicals. Victims are then lured into purchasing these fake “money-making” chemicals or drawn into elaborate rituals, during which their accounts are drained, and some are pressured into taking loans to fund the scam. The suspect admitted that once a target engages with them, they are psychologically manipulated to follow orders without question.

The young man who was being led away revealed he had only just met the duo on the road and didn’t understand why he was following them—further confirming suspicions of manipulation or hypnosis, a tactic common in such scams.

Although the alleged scammer was reportedly beaten by the angry crowd, he was later released after several bystanders intervened and pleaded on his behalf.

As of press time, local authorities are yet to comment on the viral incident.