ETSESENAMHE ESHI TIMOTHY
The Nigerian society is inundated with tales of internet fraudsters, popularly referred to in Nigeria as ‘Yahoo Boys.’ ‘Yahoo- Yahoo’ describes the trade of these fraudsters. It is gotten from one of the major tools- the Yahoo Mail- employed by the ‘yahoo Boys.’ It is alleged that about 55% of teenage boys and girls in Nigeria today are involved in ‘yahoo-yahoo’. It is either they are involved in money rituals, or making love portion rituals in a bid to cast spell on rich lovers in order to suck them dry of their fortune, or they are on the internet hacking peoples’ social media handles; running fake online businesses and fake hook-up platforms. In fact, to use a popular cliché today, ‘the Nigerian street is not smiling.’ This describes how porous the Nigerian society is at the moment.
‘Yahoo- Yahoo is cyber fraud in Nigeria’s cybercrime law; it involves using divergent formats in scamming people, to obtain money through presence or impersonation, cheating, falsification, counterfeiting, forgery and fraudulent representation of facts. ‘Yahoo- Yahoo’ business has enjoyed decades of history in Nigeria. In fact, Nigeria tops the list of countries who engage the most in cyber-crime. This dubious business is traced back to the 1980s. During the Shehu Shagari’s administration, Nigeria experienced economic doldrums which greatly affected employment and unemployment rates. This birthed the ‘’ Postal Fraud Era.’’ In this stage, it was the format of the advance fee fraud that was prominent. Usually, perpetrators promised their prey percentages of illicit riches, from corrupt governmental institutions, they were transferring out of Nigeria in return for help in providing sensitive financial details. The con guys would usually require a foreign bank account to receive the wealth abroad and, crucially, an advance fee to sort out some domestic issues.
As preposterous as it sounds, it often thus work. When the recipient makes an investment in expectation of the huge profit promised, things begin to go sour. Complains begin to sprout up, ranging from custom policies, changes in the central bank administration and policies, some very important staff in the transaction is experiencing unforeseen miseries, new bribes are needed, et cetera. The writer solicits more money and promises the recipient of making all the money back in doubles. The longer the recipient plays along the more he or she falls prey to what according to Finn Brunton says economists refer to as the ‘’ sunk cost fallacy ‘’– you have already put so much money in that business, it seems crazy to turn back now.
The 1990s brought about the advent of cybercafés in Nigeria that exacerbated ‘yahoo-yahoo.’ The cafes were thrown opened for all to access, and Nigerians visited them in large number for various reasons, ranging from academic researches, enrolment in the various platforms of the then pristine social media; many also went there for fraudulent transactions. The cafés were boosters to cybercrime, because they provided access to the internet with which fraudsters could access emails and many other new ways of communicating with people from America, United Kingdom, Philippines and many other countries, where they usually get their victims easily. Many youngsters thronged to the cybercafés to ‘bomb’ and ‘bill’ their clients through the yahoo mail.
In a country that is hit by extreme poverty that is occasioned by greed and corruption on the part of leaders who flaunt their stolen wealth and enjoy respect from the masses who at best worship mammon; a country replete with young unemployed Nigerians who have no one to chart the course of their future in lines of prosperity would very likely venture into crime and all forms of dubious ways to irk out a living.
Rightly so, many young people took to yahoo as their occupation and lived on it. It was indeed lucrative; these guys made so much money and spent lavishly on landed properties, cars, women, gadgets and Jewries. The ostentatious lifestyle of these guys lured lot more guys into yahoo. Today in Nigeria, ‘yahoo-yahoo’ is now almost socially acceptable. It is now a common occurrence to hear little children talk about their desire to ‘’learn work’’, referring to their desire to be schooled in the science and art of scamming people.
The Nigerian government tried to fight back at the menace of cyber criminals at a time and busted many ‘yahoo boys’ in their hideouts. This reduced the activities a bit around 2006 and 2009, but in 2010 things began to have a tumultuous turn around. Technologies now abounds that provided private internet services to people. Smart phones were becoming a common place in Nigeria. These phones have got apps that could make a man speak like a woman and vice versa; apps that clones a man into woman, and lots more, were advantageous to these guys. At this time also, all over the world, Nigerians were now known and described as scammers. Clients in America, Europe and elsewhere became very suspicious of any email or phone call from Nigeria. Even today any number bearing +234 is suspected to be a scam or fraud related call. The consequence of this was that, they, ‘Yahoo Boys’, were no longer ‘picking.’
This led to what is called Yahoo- plus. Yahoo plus according to Ejiro Umukoro,’’ is resorting to the use of traditional charms and mystical powers to charm potential victims into their scams.’’ It is simply the use of voodoo. According to Joshua Aransiola and Suraj Asindemade, in their article ‘’Understanding Cybercrime Perpetrators and strategies They Employ in Nigeria’’, states that ‘’ the use of voodoo and charms for spiritual protection and to charm potential victims is therefore common among ‘yahoo boys’ in Nigeria. This is referred to as ‘yahoo plus’ among the cybercriminals’’. Little wonder then stories of these guys frequenting shrines in notable communities renowned for voodooism are abound.
According to Aransiola and Asindemade, apart from ‘yahoo plus’, there is also ‘Yahoo plus Plus’. ‘’It involves the use of human parts and may need kidnapping other human beings for rituals, which is not necessary in ‘yahoo plus’.’’ This research opines that those involved in this degree of ‘yahoo-yahoo’ employ things like their ‘’ finger nails, rings, carrying of corpses, making incision on their body, sleeping in the cemetery, citing of incantation, and having sex with ghost, are common’’. Those who belong to this category are also known for eating their faeces. These ritualists are classified as ‘G-Guys’. Majority of them are high on drugs 24 hours to take away the pain of the atrocities they commit. These ‘G-Guys’ have turned Nigeria into a demonic shrine where human and other forms of sacrifices are offered.
How did we get here? We cannot excuse the dysfunctional and corrupt governments Nigeria has been blessed with over time. We cannot also wash away the attitude of the average Nigeria to worship and glorify wealth. The Nigerian society does not accord respect to the poor, and very often, they are oppressed and are robbed off their human dignity. This attitude has driven a lot of poor people into yahoo and the quest for blood money in order to be relevant. Besides, the values showcased by our entertainment industry, especially the Nollywood, have been largely based on ritual killing being the source of wealth. This is buttressed by the fact that a veteran Nollywood actor is nicknamed ‘Nnayi sacrifice’, meaning, ‘Father of Sacrifice’, because he often plays the role of a wealthy cultist who offers sacrifices to renew his riches in scenes of Africa magic drama. The role of today social media influencers cannot be taken for granted when tracing the root causes of ‘yahoo- yahoo’ and the rush to make money through involvement in money rituals. We cannot also undermine individuals whose conscience formation is malformed and could be said to have erroneous and lax consciences. These sets of people judge incorrectly, when something is bad, they think it is good. When something is good they think it is bad; they see no sin where there is actually sin. These kind of people could willingly kill, maim and kidnap for money to satisfy their inordinate desires.
‘Yahoo-yahoo’ in any of it shades has done harm geometrically more than any minutest good, if there is. Although those who support this tale of depravity argue that it has made money available and circulate in the country’s difficult economic conditions; and that business people make extravagant profits nowadays because of ‘yahoo boys’; that there is increase in hospitality business occasioned by the springing up of magnificent hotels in almost every part of the country, because hotels serve as their main hideouts’; it is to be noted with utmost clarity that ‘yahoo- yahoo’ has done more harm than good. Indeed Yahoo has left so many harrowing impacts on the Nigerian socio- cultural milieu.
In Nigeria today there is increase in cases of incessant killings for money rituals. It is now rampart to hear murder cases carried out because of money ritual purposes. Our society is at its nadir state in terms of its value for the sanctity of human life and the dignity of labour. It is now a common belief in Nigeria that the shortest way to be rich is to be involved in blood money rituals. Only recently four desperate teenage boys (Soliu Majekodunmi, 18, Wariz Oladeinde, 17, Abdulgafar Lukman, 19, and Mustakeem Balogun, 20) were apprehended by men of the Ogun State Police Command, burning the head of a girl, Sofiat Kehinde, 20, who is said to be in a relationship with one of the quartet. In a statement confirming their involvement in killing the innocent teenage girl, Balogun Mustakeem said in a video clip going viral on the internet as thus: ‘’ we wanted to use just her head alone for money ritual. Soliu (the boyfriend of the victim) strangled her and he told me to assist him and we cut off her head.” This is just one example of many instances of killing for money rituals in Nigeria today.
Today many of those involved in money rituals use so many strategies in carrying out their evil trade. There are reports of people who have been called by strange phone numbers, requesting them to send to them recharge card they earlier sent to the phone of their victims. When such victims comply, they are prayed for by a supposedly grateful grand- father of the real owner of the recharge card. This old man is alleged to be a native doctor and the words of prayers are actually incantations conjuring the listener’s spirit. When the listener agrees to the incantations, which in most cases are in some strange languages, by saying amen, within a short period of time, they become sick, and most times, bleed to death.
Many have calabashes in their front passenger’s car seat. They insist their victims, mostly girls, seat in front, when this is done, the victim goes mad. A young lady recently warned that when people use hotel rooms these days they should go with their bedsheets and towels because the probability of yahoo boys casting spell on these items is high. There is also the strategy of paying for peoples’ bills, especially at bars and in malls. No one really knows how true these claims are, but the overall intention is to snatch peoples’ fate.
Today more than ever before pagan practices have spiked in Nigeria among young people. Majority of young people have taken to Voodoo. Almost on daily bases our streets are laced with sacrifices offered to idols for good luck charms. The roads to many villages known for pagan practices, and homes to very potent shrines are the busiest today, with flashy cars ranging from the latest Lexus brand to Mercedes Benz. These shrines have become solution centres for both male and female youngsters who are looking for ‘magas’ to scam. Many of these young people have sold their souls to the devil all to pursue wealth. The fearful thing is that, every day, more and more people are lured into this pagan outlook of life.
Trailing behind the new culture of paganism is the reign of the culture of death in the Nigerian society today. It is very sad to notice a great number of young people who have questionable wealth die prematurely nowadays. There is increase in cases of death resulting from car accidents among ‘yahoo boys’. There are also cases of suicide; young people hanging themselves and taking poisonous substances to take their own life, perhaps out of depression occasioned by the consequences of the evils they have done.
‘Yahoo- yahoo’ has painted Nigeria to the international community in horrifying images. There is hardly any case where cybercriminals are hounded that Nigerians would not be among. We remember Obinwanne Okeke and Ramon Olorunwa Abbas cases and many others. These cases have tarnish the image of Nigeria greatly. Nigerians find it difficult to easily secure Visas of other countries; they are either over profiled before visas are given or they are out rightly denied. When you pull a call through from Nigeria to anywhere in the world the receiver believes at first, that the caller is a scammer. You need to prove yourself before you could be listened to, perhaps, if your call is ever taken. Nigerians all over the world are suspected to be people with dubious character. This is really not our identity. However, over the years, internet fraudsters and the pandemic of official bribery and corruption plaguing our government institutions have bastardize our image. Nigerians need to prove themselves abroad beyond reasonable doubt before trust is reposed on them. To be a Nigerian these days is almost synonymous with being a fraudster.
Furthermore, ‘yahoo-yahoo’ is the cause of the continuing inflation on certain goods and services taking a toll on Nigeria’s macro economy. There is now a constant inflationary pressures on the prices of some luxurious goods and services, especially in areas dominated by ‘yahoo boys’. Oladeinde Olawoyin opines that there is ‘’a persistent surge in the prices of designer jeans and shirts, colognes, boxers shorts, pizza, grilled fish, Asun and Shawarma, groceries, and services like body massage, haircut, gym service and related stuff. And that because yahoo boys rarely deal heavily on things like Kuli-kuli, Fufu, okpa … and related stuff, the micro pressures may not spread toward the prices of these goods’’. While Oladeinde uses a certain neighborhood in his assessment, this situation is a true description of the reality we find everywhere today in cities and towns where we have these fraudsters. These guys have enormous purchasing abilities. When they go for shopping, it is on a shopping spree, with carts filled to the brim to the admiration and utter surprise of other shoppers.
The Nigerian economy has been battling to get a footing as a whole lot of issues have and are still being addressed, as to what the problems and solutions are. The distortion of the economy from the micro level has a contributory effect on the overall economy. This also must be taken seriously. ‘Yahoo boys’ influence the upward movement of prices in these small scale markets with reckless spending. It is the same market those who earn paltry sum as their minimum wages would also interact within. The honest people with legitimate earnings bear the brunt of the increase in the prices of goods and services occasioned by the economic behaviours of some certain money bags. In some areas in Nigeria today, there are estates where ‘’normal’’ people cannot afford to rent a home because of the exorbitant prices of rent. These estates have been classified and reserved for the ‘big boys’ who are often the delight of psychedelic girls who want to chill with the ‘big boys’. The extravagant spending culture of ‘yahoo boys’ have made life difficult for salary earners and those who deal on goods and services less patronized by these ‘guys’. The prices of building materials have increased, prices of automobile services have skyrocketed, clothing prices have gone high, etcetera.
The Nigerian government and all stakeholders in the polity of our country must see the ‘yahoo-yahoo’ phenomenon as a problem and therefore make moves to proffer solutions. We cannot neglect the root causes of this problem – extreme poverty in the country, bastardization of our values externalized and championed by our entertainment industry, our collective systemic worship of wealth. We must reorientate the Nigerian youths on the core values of dignity of labour and the sanctity of human life. The government must overhaul the syllabuses of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The ministry of education should introduce subjects and courses that deal with these values in the curricula of the various levels of education. The family is the first unit of civilization, law enforcement agency should have an eye on parents who fail in their roles of parenting. There should be massive industrialization in Nigeria. Nigerian’s Steel companies should be revamped so that more young people could be gainfully employed. The government should be seen to encouraging private and foreign investors come into the country to invest in any sector of our economy. This would create jobs for the many young people filled with the vigour to work.
The church in Nigeria has a major role to play in lowering the evil of cybercrimes in Nigeria. The church must continue to be the moral conscience of the nation. Pastors of souls must vehemently preach about this evil of money rituals and ‘yahoo- yahoo’ in Nigeria. It is very disheartening to see some pastors behave like ‘yahoo boys’; pastors having obsessive love for money to the extent of flaunting money on their social media handles; we see and hear pastors boast of their wealth and acts of philanthropies to the extent the amoral and rugged yahoo- skinny- little – boy in his saggy jeans trousers would not dare to go. Little wonder some people blame the life style of some religious leaders as part of the root causes of ‘yahoo-yahoo’ and all other crimes committed to acquire riches and fame. Perhaps, it may be, because they collect tithe without asking the source, they acknowledge the ‘bigger tithers’ and treat with scorn, the poor in the church. Many poor people in some churches cannot have access to some their pastors because they are poor. It is very important to not over-emphasize Prosperity. Virtues like handwork, patience, persistence, and contentment should be preached and encouraged among the congregants. As a society, we must all be united to rid our society of the menace of ‘yahoo- yahoo’ by speaking against it and not to extol the dexterity of those involved.
