AFP
A rumour has spread rapidly in the commercial capital, Lagos, that if one answers calls from certain "killer numbers" then one will die immediately.
Over the weekend Nigeria was gripped by reports that calls from the numbers 0802 311 1999 and 0802 222 5999 had slain subscribers who answered them.
While the first number belongs to a V-mobile subscriber, the second number is not registered on the network, said Oparah.
An AFP reporter attempted to call both numbers but was unable to get through to anyone. It was not clear if this was a result of Nigeria's poor network coverage or of the lines being cut off.
Newspaper and radio reports at the weekend advised Nigerians not to answer calls originating from those numbers, as a precaution.
The BBC's reporter in Lagos, Sola Odunfa, says that the current scare story is reminiscent of a rumour that spread a few years ago that a handshake could cause sexual organs to disappear.
That rumour turned to tragedy as mobs rounded on people accused of making organs disappear
