Haunted houses are houses dominated by ghosts and some terrestrial powers or influences that make them scary to live in. Haunted houses are usually high-profile and sophisticated mansions that deteriorate over time as a result of non-occupancy, lack of maintenance and permanent abandonment.
In Nigeria, a haunted house may not be easily identified until it is left unoccupied for years; this is because the families and some friends (particularly beneficiaries of such houses) make efforts to conceal the happenings of such houses from the general public.
Often, it takes a family member or very close relation or associate to reveal the scary part of a house, however, there are still some ways to know when a house is haunted. This article will reveal some secrets about haunted houses in Nigeria, how to identify haunted houses and not inadvertently purchase houses occupied by ghosts and creepy disembodied spirits.
How to Identify a Haunted House
The following are signs that a house is haunted;
Abandonment of High-Quality Mansions:
Several luxurious mansions have been abandoned for donkey years. These buildings are situated in low-density high-rated neighborhoods (although a few are in medium-density areas and small towns). The mere looking at such a building will tell that nobody wants to live in it. The premises are usually weed-filled with cobwebs, dirt, dilapidated walls, damaged lighting system and permanently locked entrance gate(s).
Signs of Movement at Night:
Haunted houses are ghost-friendly, ghosts have a special thing with darkness. At night ghosts roam around, fly within the premises, peep from windows, sit on fences and rooftops and converge at odd spots in the house. No one goes near such houses between the hours of 11 pm to 2:45 pm, that is the ghost’s dawn and believe me, ghosts are very sensitive to sounds, sight, and signs, any of these could stall their movement and attract mayhem on their victims. The ghosts are usually barefoot, clothed in white, black or sometimes nude carrying blunt faces with sharp sights.
Unfamiliar Sounds at Midnight:
Sounds produced by ghosts are normally whispery and creepy, these sounds happen when the ghosts move around or communicate with other ghosts. Some familiar sounds include; door bangs, windows shutting, voluntary locks and opening of doors, footwear flying around, and falling objects (plates, spoons, pots, knives, books, candles) among others. One could even hear sounds from audio players, guitars or keyboards at odd hours.
Fluctuation of Lighting:
Usually, when ghosts move around, they make bulb lights go on and off intermittently until the ghost is settled in a corner, this is especially when a ghost is furious and unleashes its anger, whatever action they take may fluctuate the lights. These can happen both inside and outside the mansion or just within the premises at night even when there is no power supply to the building.
Movement of Items:
Ghosts are restless and are in the habit of moving household items or objects from one part of the house to another. People living in a haunted house know this. Sometimes items left in the dining areas could end up in the master’s bedroom the following day. Knives left in the kitchen find their way to the bathroom, this is one of the scary parts of living or owning a haunted house. No peace of mind.
A Feeling of Being Watched:
This usually happens between 8 pm – 11 pm, sometimes between the hours of 12:30 am – 1 am, it feels like something is looking you in the face and any slight movement such as turning to confirm the feeling, a sudden breeze blows on the curtains or door gets shut forcefully. At times when meals are prepared with a gas cooker a sudden fire increase occurs, the gas cooker may turn off and on voluntarily.
Why Are Houses Haunted?
A house can be hunted for many reasons, but the most known reasons in Nigeria are; rituals, greed, and witchcraft.
Rituals:
One of the sacrifices that ritualists make to amass unprecedented wealth is by killing a fellow human being, this is also known as blood sacrifice. In the spirit realm blood is appreciated as the highest gift presentable to the deities or spirit beings. People who accept to exchange of blood for wealth are recognized and highly placed. Unfortunately, this sacrifice has ripple effects on the exchanger or his immediate family. Some people are classified as strong-spirited beings, when these types of people are used for sacrifice, their spirit upon separation from the body ends up roaming the earth to either expose the killers or occupy the properties built from blood money.
Greed:
This could emanate from family litigations or prolonged problems within a small or polygamous family where someone from the family casts a spell on another family member for being richer or more successful, the spell could be to make life difficult or unleash wicked spirits to occupy houses and business owned by the said successful person. These spirits take over the house to cause mayhem, such as financial losses, marriage breakup, untimely death or incurable ailments, hence forcing the occupants to pack out of the house.
Witchcraft:
Witches can take over a house as a result of covenants with humans that weren’t kept. During initiation into witchcraft, certain promises or covenants and secrets are meant to be upheld and kept by members, such that when the covenants are breached or contravened, one of the repercussions is that the deities take over all the properties owned by the defaulting members.
In some cases, each member of a secret cult group is made to build a temple in their main building in which sacrifices are made occasionally. The spirits from the temple are energized after each sacrifice to multiply wealth for the host and safeguard the entire premises against external attacks. When the host fails to make the necessary sacrifices to the temple, some wicked spirits are unleashed to create havoc including dominating the entire house that the host possesses.
Can a Haunted House Be Sold
Yes. Haunted houses can be sold out. It will take some level of boldness from the owner or family members to enter a haunted house with a total stranger(s) for inspection, though this inspection is likely to happen during the day, it doesn’t forestall harm from coming on the intruders. In the daytime, everything appears normal, aside from the unkempt premises, the furniture and equipment appear well placed with all facilities looking functional.
The buyers may not be informed about the ghosts, but of course not, the sellers would want to sell to a total stranger from another far away neighbourhood who knows nothing about the haunt. It is expected that the eventual buyer finds out after money and documents have exchanged hands between parties. So yes a haunted house can be sold especially at a very cheap offer, since not only will the interest on the property be transferred, but the ghosts are also passed onto the new owner to be tormented.
How Not to Buy a Haunted House.
If a potential buyer of real estate hears a rumour about a house being haunted, it is important that he contacts the seller to ratify the information and as a backup request a night inspection at the property. It is improper for the potential buyer to inspect alone, the company of the owner must be sought after for evening inspection, and the first suspicion should be when the owner turns down the request or insists on a morning or afternoon inspection.
Sometimes it is necessary to make personal inquiries around a neighborhood to ask questions about the house being advertised for sale. The buyer should try to find out the length of time the said property has been abandoned and the activities around the premises. This query must not be done in haste as ample time is required to surf every necessary nook and cranny for vital and relevant information about the house before money exchanges hands.