Professor Peller is the father of Shina Peller, a former member of the House of Representatives and CEO of Quilox Club Lagos.
Professor Peller, the magician, played a pivotal role in introducing Nigerians to the world of magic and is also known as the father of the popular socialite, Shina Peller.
He always moved with a massive and electrified crowd thronging after his slowly-moving convoy. At the center was a white limousine, and from the sunroof was a man full of charming smiles, waving to the frenzied crowd, looking very smart and handsome, dressed all in white, including his hat.
It was a dazzling spectacle as the limo headed towards the city stadium, where he had a show. For about thirty years, Peller held the world’s most populous black nation spellbound, with millions gasping at the whisk of his wand. I hope you find this magical.
About Professor Peller:
Born in 1941 in Iseyin, Oyo State, he was named Moshood Folorunsho Abiola. He later picked the stage name ‘Professor Peller,’ an appellation that has stuck to him like a second skin.
His Magical Performances and Exploits:
When alive, Professor Peller was the most brilliant magician in all of Africa. Even in death, Peller remains the greatest, having performed not only before princes but also holding kings spellbound with his magic. Femi Oyebode, a Professor of Psychiatry, vividly described Peller’s shows, emphasizing his confidence, majesty, and grace.
Peller was a prolific magician with shows like the Invisible General, the Escaping Box, Changing Dresses, and the Zigzag, executed with maximum finesse. Perhaps, if not for death, he might have even eclipsed David Copperfield of the USA in fame.
While growing up, he was nicknamed Moshood Olori Pupa (Moshood the Red-Headed Boy). One of his classical performances included putting his wife in a ‘magical coffin’ and severing the same coffin into two halves with a ‘magic coffin.’
For a man who was a showstopper at any event, not a few women fell for the enchanting spell of Nigeria’s most famous magician. He was a man of many women and married many of them.
However, the best known of these ladies, with whom he performed his magic tricks, is Alhaja Silifat Adeboyin Peller, known as Lady Peller. Now 66 years of age, she tends to her grandchildren while reminiscing over the glittering wonders of an empire of magic that once held sway.
Alhaja Silifat Abiola Peller, the wife of the late magician, Professor Peller, has opened up on why the popular socialite was killed.
While speaking in an interview with BBC News Yoruba, Mrs Peller revealed that the assassination of her husband was made possible because of the personal information he leaked to the media after a performance she had with her husband that got everyone scared.
She said during the performance, the late magician sliced her into two on stage but found it difficult to restore her back to normal.
“On that unforgettable day, Professor Peller performed at the National Theatre. He sliced Lady Peller into two but found it difficult to restore her back to normal,” she said.
“He did his best to the point of sweating, which was noticed by the spectators. The show ended at that point.
“Thanks to God, Lady Peller later came back to life. But people were yet to know until the following day.
“While Professor Peller was performing (the following day), the spectators were not all that interested. All they wanted to see was Lady Peller.
“As soon as they saw me, they were excited to the point that some of them called it a day, saying my appearance was entertaining enough.”
Silifat said presidents and prominent people used to come to the shows they performed across the world.
On how she heard of her husband’s death, she said she was in Lagos when she got the information.
“It was an unfortunate day which I can’t really explain. Some said I fainted and later got revived after water was poured on me,” she said.
On how her husband died, Silifat said “He was observing the Sujud prayer when he died.”
She continued, “The media knows how to ask questions that can make one say things he ought not to say.
“Professor Peller was asked by the media to reveal the particular time he could be found without his powers.
“He told them that he could only be found without his powers when he’s observing the Islamic prayers.
“That’s what Professor Peller said that led to his fall.”
Silifat said the assassins who killed the magician ensured they carried out the act at the time he was observing prayers.”