"‘Yahoo Yahoo’ practice is on the rise because of the backing the youth involved in the act enjoys from traditionalists" — Religious leaders.

 

Certain religious leaders are being held responsible for the illicit activities carried out by youths involved in internet fraud, commonly referred to as ‘Yahoo Yahoo.’

The Convener of the Apostolic Grace Network, Apostle Lawrence Bamilaw, accused practitioners of traditional religions of offering assistance to these fraudsters.

However, the Chairman of the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association in Osun State, Oluseyi Atanda, dismissed the notion that assigning blame would address the issue of internet fraudsters.

Expressing his perspective, the National Missioner of Al-Habibiyah Islamic Society, Uztas Fuhad Adeyemi, emphasised the need for everyone to contribute to finding a solution to the menace of internet fraud.

Apostle Bamilaw, in his assertions, had specifically accused some practitioners of traditional religions of creating diabolical charms to aid the operations of the ‘Yahoo boys.’

In a discussion with journalists, the cleric asserted that numerous practitioners of traditional religions extend support to fraudsters by creating diabolical charms to hypnotise their victims.

He emphasised that such practices not only facilitate illicit activities but also encourage more youths to adopt internet fraud as a means of livelihood.

The cleric appealed for the collaboration of traditional rulers and leaders of traditional religions, urging them to withdraw the support given to ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ boys.

He believed such a collective effort would effectively curb the proliferation of internet fraud as a prevalent livelihood, particularly in the South West region of Nigeria.

‘Yahoo Yahoo’ practice is on the rise because of the backing the youth involved in the act enjoys from traditionalists. The herbalists give these young boys the necessary charms to dupe their victims, and every successful venture encourages others to join the bandwagon.

“I am using this platform to appeal to traditional rulers, especially in the South West, to prevail on traditionalists to stop supporting Yahoo boys if we want the trend to reduce or stop.

“Many of these youths do not possess the skill to dupe foreigners, but the charms given to them help hypnotise their victims to surrender their money without suspicion. As stakeholders, we can talk to each other and stop helping; the society would be better for it,” Bamilaw said.

Contrarily, the Chairman of the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association in Osun State, Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, asserted that assigning blame would not serve as a solution to the issue of internet fraudsters.

Atanda contended that all religious groups were culpable of contributing to social decadence within society.

He said: “Our society is in a deep mess, and everyone should be blamed for it. This is not the time for blame trading but action.

“We have seen Pastors and Alfas enjoying criminal proceeds from young men without a legal means of livelihood. We have seen clerics providing support for criminals, and in return, criminals sprayed them money in Churches and mosques. Trading blame will only worsen the situation, and society will suffer for it.

“I think it is time for Nigerians to stop worshipping money, it is time to start asking questions, it is time to return to tradition; we must rejig our Omoluabi ethos for our society to become a haven of peace and prosperity.

“The time to act is now. Stakeholders must come to the roundtable and discuss a way out of this societal mess, or things will grow worse than they are now.”

Expressing a similar sentiment, the National Missioner of Al-Habibiyah Islamic Society, Uztas Fuhad Adeyemi, stressed that society has endured considerable hardship and it is not productive to engage in blame-shifting. He emphasised that everyone bears some responsibility for aiding crime.

Adeyemi urged collective action, asserting that each individual must rise to the challenge and contribute solutions to address the menace instead of allowing it to persist unchecked.

Adeyemi said: “We have decided to embark on training of youths in using the internet positively than for crime. We are teaching them to use the internet to earn a livelihood legally.

“We want our youths to make good use of the internet. What they have been using negatively, we want to turn it into positive that will be beneficial for the country and their family.

“All of us should help return sanity to the society by emphasising good character above wealth and discourage illegalities among youths to ensure a better society for our children.“