Lawyers accuse public of applauding ‘Yahoo Boys’, urge action
Some Lagos-based lawyers are calling for urgent steps to curb internet fraud, commonly known as ‘yahoo yahoo,’ in Nigeria. In interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, the lawyers expressed alarm and disturbance over the increasing activities of internet fraudsters. They noted that many young people erroneously perceive these practices as lawful. […]
Some Lagos-based lawyers are calling for urgent steps to curb internet fraud, commonly known as ‘yahoo yahoo,’ in Nigeria.
In interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, the lawyers expressed alarm and disturbance over the increasing activities of internet fraudsters. They noted that many young people erroneously perceive these practices as lawful.
The lawyers urged the federal government to take proactive measures to combat this menace.
Social critic, Mr. Spurgeon Ataene, lamented what appears to be public applause for the crime.
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According to him, some people seem excited when ‘yahoo boys’, with no verifiable means of livelihood, suddenly appear with exotic cars.
He pointed out that cyber criminals specialize in cajoling unsuspecting and hardworking individuals, especially foreigners, into parting with their wealth. He also expressed dissatisfaction that some members of society have become enthralled by their displays.
“In parties, homes, schools, and even churches and mosques, yahoo boys hold sway; their reckless and endless show of spending now makes even the younger ones believe it is a norm,” Ataene stated.
Ataene called for an urgent review of the Cybercrime Act to counter such activities. He suggested that “Landlords should be given the right to inspect what their tenants do when there is suspicion that such accommodations are used for practices not in tandem with what the tenants signed in their tenancy agreements.”
He also advocated for a policy mandating that anyone spending over N1 million at an event should be required to declare their assets.
Failure to declare such assets, he added, should attract sanctions.
“Again, anybody below the age of 25 with such stupendous wealth, which makes it look meaningless to be gainfully employed, and who has no concrete evidence of the kind of work he does, must have such money confiscated by the state,” Ataene emphasized.
He urged the government to establish monitoring teams to verify why students leave school and roam places, luring other young people away from education and hard work.
Ataene also stressed the importance of the government providing jobs and basic amenities, without which, he cautioned, some young people might be drawn into crime.
“Laws alone or their amendments are not enough; implementation is the most important aspect of legislation,” he concluded.
Mrs. Adaobi Fortune, a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, highlighted an even more disturbing trend: the transformation of ‘yahoo boys’ into ritualists.
According to her, these individuals are often termed ‘Yahoo plus’, indicating they have escalated their quest for quick wealth to include blood rituals.