When he was alive, Professor Peller was the smartest person in Africa. Even after his passing, it is uncertain whether other African magicians have surpassed his accomplishments. In almost every African nation, he gave performances before not only princes and other elites but also held kings in awe of his magic. Here is how Femi Oyebode, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Birmingham, described Peller and one of his performances at the then-named George V stadium in Lagos in 1972.
My last visit to the stadium was to watch Professor Peller, a magician who is rumored to be a Magic Circle member, compete against the final survivor of our traditional magicians, whose name I can’t recall right now (which is itself a significant fact). Black tails, a top hat, a wand in one hand, black shoes, and well-groomed hair adorned Professor Peller’s attire. With the help of a lovely young woman, he was the epitome of the dapper gentleman. A white dove escaped from his white handkerchief when he flicked it. Flowers started to bloom as he tugged on his cuff links. He exuded confidence and majesty. He possessed style and grace. His helper was levitated. Without drawing blood, he split her in half. It was a masterful ruse—he chained her up multiple times, locked her in a cupboard, and then she vanished. The audience applauded and cheered. Against our better judgment, we fell for the seduction. We wished fervently that the traditional magician would charm and endear us to his magic, the mysteries of African magic. The two of us were disappointed, or should I say I was disappointed. The audience gasped out loud when he entered the stage wearing nothing but a loincloth of unknown color. This ungainly, small, thin man who appeared to have just awoken from the dead swallowed a stone, turned to face us, slid his loincloth to one side, and expelled the stone. Shame and ugliness. He allowed a sharp sword to slice open his abdomen. However, we had already begun to dislike him due to his lack of panache and glitz. The gates were quickly swamped by people. Such was our level of disgust. You could say that I gave up two of my childhood dreams at George V Stadium in my adolescence.
Here is yet another well-liked performance by Prof. Peller. He split his wife in half and then pieced her back together during this magical performance.
The event took place at the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos State, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo was represented by Lagos State Governor Alhaji Lateef Jakande. The event began as planned, but the Peller team then made the decision to add a suspenseful event, as is customary when they have events that immediately follow one another every evening. The goal was to build up enough suspense to draw in more people the following day. Therefore, the plan for day one was to give the impression that he got into trouble while sawing his wife in half. Next, she had to be “revived,” though. The crowd went into a frenzy and started yelling, “We want Lady Peller!” and “Give us Lady Peller!” after the “cutting,” which was obviously done with a lot of dramatic effects. When Lady Peller, 66, was questioned about the incident later in 2012, she insisted that Peller actually cut her in half and even caused her some minor injuries.
The greatest magician in Nigerian history is still Professor Peller. Many Nigerians thought that when he died, magic in their country also perished.
