By Arems Terkula
A catastrophé of unimaginable proportions awaits us on the horizon and, except something is done quick and drastically, there may be no way out.
Over the years “Yahoo” (electronic scam), as Nigerians popularly call it, has taken root and may not go away just yet. From what started as a fringe criminal activity with the advent of desktop computers back in the early 90s, a global web of cyber-criminal syndicates has evolved into a more complex and sophisticated network of fraudsters with the improvement of digital technology.
Currently, Yahoo Plus, as the ruthlessness of this criminal practice now qualifies it to be called, has become a new trend that combines scams and rituals, incorporating the killing of human beings for the purpose of using organs from their dead bodies to carry out all kinds of fetish rituals, with the superstitious belief that money or wealth could be made by so doing.
Not so long ago, four teenage boys, namely Balogun Mustakeem, Majekodunmi Soliudeen, Abdul Gafar Lukman and Majekodunmi Oladeinde were arraigned by the police in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, for allegedly conspiring and beheading one Sofiat Okeowo.
One of those that gave public insight (names withheld) narrated that during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) days, a friend from secondary school went to join some big boys and was introduced to Yahoo, but he got no luck until he was introduced to another big boy somewhere in Ekiti State.
“They link him up with one big, the guy has three luxury cars in his compound. So he decided to show him the way. Fast-forward to February 2018, they took him on a journey to Ikere, a village in Ekiti, they got to a point on the journey there was no road so they parked and continued on a boat that took them across a river into a forest, in the middle of nowhere was a mansion well built with 24 hour power running on generator. They entered the house naked into a secret room; the Baba called his full name and told him why he had come and what he needed to do. Baba said he needed human parts but that he should bring the sum of seventy-five thousand as the parts were readily available in a cold room somewhere in the house. That was because he entertained all kinds of clients from politicians.”
However, like any rites there are terms and conditions, as for him, he was commanded never again to drink alcohol nor lay with a virgin to ensure sustainability and likely to save his life from sudden death as there are always heavy risks involved in such rituals.
A search on Facebook turned up various Yahoo groups created either to recuit more boys willing to join, to swindle people or even just to prove a point. Some of such groups are the “Ogun Omo Yahoo to Confirm” with 48 thousand members, “Ogun Fun Omo Yahoo Todaju” 3.1 thousand members, “Asiri Awon Ogun Omo Yahoo Todaju 2” with 39 thousand members, and “Yahoo Update” with 51 thousand members, among others.
The scary part, however, is that they are not hiding from police or the EFCC, but openly posting photos of successful human sacrifice, dead bodies and testimonials of what they had done.
How Did We Get Here?
Over the years, we have witnessed an excessive desire to gain wealth and power. And because desires went on unchecked and unpunished, it gradually became the new normal, says one public affairs commentator, Vivian Ordu.
Others strongly believe that the powerful and rich political culture in Nigeria is encouraging dishonest acts like electronic scam and other vices. There are shades of opinion, and a look at Twitter where the issue has been trending exposes all sorts of reasons adduced for this anomaly. One accountholder, @jeffphilips1, believes “whether we agree or not, the menace of yahoo boys now turned ritualists is the failure of Nigeria Police and associated anti fraud agencies. More boys started entering into the nonsense when they saw that all police needed was settlement and not arrest and prosecution.”
However, Aruwajoye Olumide has a different perspective on the issue. He feels the trend is as a result of failure from parents and family. “Has any parent of family reported their son to the police or the EFCC and the law failed them?”
Others believe it is a decline in values resulting from poverty and a badly managed economy. On his twitter handle @BabaYehgar poses these questions and answers.
Nigerians: If you no get money, hide your face.
Some Nigerians: what is this country turning into?
Nigerians: If you can’t pay my bills don’t move to me.
Recent viral videos on the social media space are begging the answer to this question, how did we get here? A video of a group of men appeared to have apprehended a young man feeding on feaces which he ate in intervals, probably executing a ritual order.
In another video believed to originate from a location in Owerri, Imo State, two young men were seen defecating openly at a busy roundabout not minding if people were looking at them. In what appeared very abnormal, one of the boys was seen wiping his butt with a piece of bread and eating it shamelessly as people watched.
The Catalyst
One man is seen to have been the catalyst, his name, Ramon Abbas, popularly known by his nickname Hushppupi. Until his arrest and arraignment in the United States of America, where he is awaiting sentencing for a $24 million cyber fraud, Ramon was resident in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he operated.
On the night that his apartment was raided at the Palazzo Versace, more than 150 million dirham (about $ 40million) in cash, 13 luxury cars worth Dh 25 million ($7 million), 21 laptops, 47 smartphones, 15 memory storage devices, 5 external storage devices and 800,000 emails of potential victims, aside suitcases full of cash, were recovered.
Like many potential fraudsters, Abbas had a humble beginning, selling second hand clothes in Lagos. From the blues, Abbas became an Instagram celebrity, posting pictures and videos of a lush and lavish spending on exotic cars, watches, designer clothes, bags from very expensive brands like Gucci, Fendi and Louis Vuitton.
He showed videos and photos of himself boarding helicopters and chartered jets with other celebrities and politicians. Ramon is believed to have triggered a proliferation of a new normal for cyber crime in Nigeria. Not surprising that he has over 2.5 million followers on IG, which shows his level of acceptability on social media, the bulk of his followers being young boys and girls.
Today it looks like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is fighting a war with no end in sight, as the scale of the problem seems to have evaded them. Ramon Abbas may have been arrested and put away, but there may still be many of his kind out there who are willing to take the criminal enterprise, called “Yahoo Plus,” to the next level.
