It is not true that any genitalia was stolen by magic in Rivers State, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has stated.
The association made the assertion, in reaction to a viral video on social media showing a man, Mr Daso Ogan, being beaten and allegedly detained over claims that he had “magically” stolen another man’s genitalia
But the Public Relations Officer, Dr Siene Orogun while dismissed such claims, asserting that neither a person’s genitalia nor any body part can be stolen through physical or spiritual means.
Describing the allegation as unfounded and unknown to medical science and Nigerian law, she added that a handshake or physical contact cannot cause the disappearance, shrinking or dysfunction of a person’s genitalia or any other body part.
“There is no biological or scientific evidence to support such claims.
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“However, the experience of it feeling real is a recognised medical condition known as Koro Syndrome or Genital Retraction Syndrome,” she said.
Orogun, a Public Health Physician at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), explained that people suffering from the condition genuinely believed that their genitalia had shrunk or disappeared.
“The fear itself triggers physical responses. Anxiety can reduce blood flow and suppress erectile function, creating the impression that the organ has shrunk or lost function.
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“The organ remains intact. What is real is the psychiatric and physiological effect of extreme fear, and that is entirely treatable,” she explained.
Orogun described Koro Syndrome as a ”mass psychogenic illness in which fear spreads rapidly within communities,” stressing the need for public health education and psychiatric support.
She urged residents to seek medical attention rather than resort to violence or superstition when confronted with such fears.
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