Yahoo Boys: The Boys or Government?

 

By Oji Odu

The recent raid by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on popular Nite Club, Club 57, Ikoyi, Lagos on Friday, May 11, 2018, arresting over 12 suspected internet fraudsters ( Yahoo Boys’), has continued to generate controversies. While some applauded the anti graft agency, others felt otherwise.

Does government have any moral justification to blacklist these people, most of whom were forced into the act by the uncondusive environment in the country it created with the continued bad governance of every administration? Does government have the moral justification when its actions are anti people, as it continues to arrogantly disobey and disregard the laws of the country?

Does it have the right to label anyone as fraudster when everyday, its agencies departments and firms are ripping the people off? Sometimes when it is not directly involved in the rip-off, it is seen as providing security to those ripping its citizens off. These are some posers by many Nigerians.

In his reaction, Chief Executive Officer, 360Group, Noble Igwe, has called on the  EFCC to arrest more fraudsters.

Noble Igwe on his Twitter page disclosed that Record label owners, car dealers and club owners in Lagos are major fraud fronts in the country.

According to him, there is no difference between those who steal with the gun and those that steal with computers. He said that people who steal with computers should also be referred to and treated as armed robbers.

“Record label, Estate/ Property Business, Car Selling business. The Above are major 419 /fraud fronts in Nigeria.

“EFCC needs to have a waiter stationed at every club within Lekki & VI. After last night,club owners are going to record low sales and Uber drivers will be busy tonight.

“Online stores and stores on Admiralty/Fola Osibo are used for money laundering.

“Armed robbers on instagram are regarded as G boys, but in reality, theirs is a different type of stealing.

“People steal and then turn around to blame the government for making them criminals.

“Anyone that defends a criminal is a criminal and while we have a list for people advocating rape culture, we should also have one for such people. An armed robber is an armed robber. You are a thief armed with a computer,” he twitted.

But in a chat with Sunday Adioha, a Sociologist, he agreed with Igwe but further asked whether government should not be included in the list of Yahoo people.

‘ True, Yahoo of any type is stealing and robbery. If this is so according to Igwe, government is also a Yahoo organisation.

‘ How can you explain where electricity consumers are forced to pay for the light they do not enjoy? How do you explain how the Distribution Companies (DISCOs) estimated billing system and the crazy monthly electricity bills? How can you explain their refusal to meter their customers after several government directives, as they continue to rip-off electricity consumers monthly? Is that not fraud. What type of yahoo is greater than this?

‘How can one explain governments refusal to pay their workers even after several bailouts, and stats continue to owe months of salary arrears in a country where minimum wage is a paltry N18,000? What do they do with the monies set aside for such? Is it not fraud?

‘What about those of pensions and gratuities of the elderly that had served this county meritoriously in various capacities? Even after crawling to government to pay them, they are heartlessly left to suffer, and sometimes die without receiving the minute sums. Is this not fraud? Is it not Yahoo?’

Adioha believes that the EFCC merely satisfied who paid them for that raid. ‘ Are they telling Nigerians they do not know who the real Yahoo boys are and where to find them? They have just been given a free licence to make money from so many illegal arrests that will likely follow,’ he added.