For years now, cybercrime or yahoo business, re-branded G-Business, has found its hotbed in Benin City, the Edo State capital, where it is embraced by certain per cent of youths in the state, who find this practice as well as other illicit activities that traverse the entire city as a way of life. EMAMEH GABRIEL (Abuja) and PATRICK OCHOGA (Benin) report
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t is not difficult these days to spot typical ‘G-boys’ in Benin City without recognizing them. They live like celebrated pop stars or like boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, flaunting their wealth especially at social events such as parties, club houses, shopping malls and other places of interest.
They drive the latest power cars such as G-wagon, Voltron and Lexus 450 jeeps. They are young, rich and desperate youths. The first thing that strikes you is their exotic cars, designer gold necklace and sunglasses.
In some occasions, they come in drove with these flashy cars announcing their presence, most times, to get the attention of sophisticated girls or to intimidate those they have branded too weak and not smart enough to break the jinx of poverty.
With their sagged jean revealing their boxers, on their heads are dreadlocks and their faces covered with Taliban beards which stand them out in gatherings. With their deep pockets, they are toast of girls in the city and campuses like University of Benin and Ambrose Ali University, where the best girls go crazy for them.
Some of them invest in properties and real estate. Those among them, who live in rented apartments, go for elitist areas, especially in the government reservation area of Ugbor Village, Gapiona, Iyama, Adesuwa and Abuja quarters.
It is in fact a life every young man in this city desire to have a taste of no matter what it takes.
From different background, they are bonded with this common life style bond by their illicit business. They spend most of their night at night clubs and hotels, reason why it is most often difficult for someone not familiar with Benin City to secure a space in the best hotels during weekends. It is their hours and even hotels owners know that such hours are exclusively reserved for them.
A popular night club in Benin name (withheld) is reputed to have played host to top Nigerian celebrities including musical stars such as 2face, Davido, Wizkids, Teckno and other Nollywood stars, is also a popular hangout for these boys and other big spenders.
On an average, a single person at the club spends as much as N2 million on expensive drinks such as Cognac, Donpriyon, assorted whiskey, champagne and wines in a single night.
A casket of drink at the club ranges between N400,000 and N1 million depending on the types of drinks.
In one occasion, a popular G-boy in Benin popularly known as ‘cash’ was said to have shut down his Iguobadia apartment when he invited his friends to celebrate the 20th birthday party of his girlfriend.
Shockingly military and police men were invited to provide security. The party was the talk of the town for months.
A close source to the celebrant said over $150, 000 was splashed on the birthday girl as top comedians and live performance was organized to add colour to the event.
These narratives paint the rich picture of the life style of the Benin Street Kings. They spend big like Asian princes and do not give a hoot of what happens tomorrow. It is a life of live and let live.
Over the years, they have become one of the country’s worst nightmares. With their network of operation cutting across other parts of the country and the world, Nigeria’s integrity profile keeps plummeting by the day and its dignity thrown to the dogs, all because of a handful of youths who have sold the usefulness of their craftiness to the dark world.
Small minority they are, yet their sting on their victims’ life savings is enough to label Nigeria a nation of crooks.
No thanks to the emergence of the internet and its cheap accessibility coupled with indirect peer pressure, provoking the rise of the legions of internet fraudsters that traverse the Nigerian ancient city.
“The moral narrative has changed forever, and youth culture would never remain the same,” a report said.
‘‘The unfortunate thing about it is the fact that the next generation of youths in the state are already looking up to these set of people as role models because of their fancy life styles. They want to make money but do not want to go through the proper channels,” said a retired security personnel, Idrisu Suleiman.
‘‘Are you surprised at the level at which people steal pants and engage in other ritual related acts? It all started as 419 and now when their targets have understood their modus of operation, they move on and go faceless with the help of the internet with a new concept call Yahoo boys that they have now branded G-boys.
‘‘You are a journalist, go and do your investigation properly, you will discover that most of these boys calling themselves G-boys are not actually what people think they are, they are ritualists.”
Okolie Jude, a business man and graduate of University of Benin told LEADERSHIP Weekend that it is getting out of hand. “These boys are desperate and will do anything to make money,” he said.
‘‘I remember way back when this yahoo business started, you would come to cyber café and see young boys, age 25-30, with live tortoise under their foot and on their wrists, a white handkerchief while they are busy chatting with their would be victims.
‘‘They said they used this animal which they bought from spiritualists to manipulate the thinking of their victims so that they do exactly what they say.”
Findings have shown that since the turn of the millennium, more youths under the age of 30 and above have admitted to have gone the dark part of advanced fraud.
Even as authorities continue to work hard to track down network that stretches the city, unfortunately, the practice is becoming more acceptable among the youth in the state making it even difficult for authorities to control.
According to a report in March 2018 by cyber Intelligence Company, Crowdstrike, titled ‘Nigerian Confraternities Emerge as Business Email Compromise Threat, internet fraudsters are run by organised crime syndicates.
According to the report, ‘‘Behind the fraudsters is an organised crime network with its hands in human trafficking, drugs, prostitution, money laundering and cybercrime.’’
The report also pointed out that Nigeria is a renowned hotspot for internet scams and the business will continue to thrive.
No doubt, today Benin, the Edo State capital city, remains a flash point of cybercrime and other related crimes driven by syndicates who have eyes and ears all over the world.
‘‘I fear that the next generation of youths might be worse if something drastic is not done about it,’’ said Mr Caleb Ehimen, a graduate of the University of Benin who said he spent most of his time with some of these boys in his days in school and from his studies, there is not an atom of human conscience left in them.
‘‘They see it as fun and the only means of survival,” Ehimen said. “These are people who have lost hope in the system and are not willing to give up any time soon. Their lifestyle creates this sense of inferiority on any one with small heart and could lead such person into doing something worse to fit in.’’
At a recent raid at an apartment used by yahoo boys and their subsequent parade by the Edo State Police command, one of the suspected internet fraudsters, identified as Osaro who confessed to be a yahoo boy, said he decided to do internet crime as the quickest way to break away from the shackles of poverty.
Several items were recovered at the point of arrest. Some of them are three exotic cars: Benz- E350-4matic; Toyota Camry XLE and Benz GLE 450.
Others are four iPhones, two laptops; one ipad, cheque books, car number plates and a pistol.
The graduate of the University of Benin said since he started doing ‘yahoo’, he has been able to cater for his sibling and extended family members from proceeds of his crime.
Peter Igbinosa, 25, when asked why young people indulged in internet crime and rituals said the simple reason is poverty and lack of job.
“Bros, I don’t blame those who are doing Yahoo because the country is difficult to live in. Situations where after leaving school you can’t find a job, what do you expect them to do?,” he asked.
“However, I’m not in support of those who do rituals to make money. It takes intelligent to con anybody. Imagine if all the young men who are into Yahoo decide to carry arms against the state, we will all be in a terrible situation.
An internet fraudster who does want his name mentioned told LEADERSHIP Weekend that after he graduated with a master’s degree, he had hoped to get a job. But after traversing the length and breadth of the country for a job without any luck, he had no option but to follow his friend who introduced him to the business.
In his words: “As long as I am not an armed robber, I am not bothered. I use my brain to get what I want. Most nights I am awake doing my thing and when baba God blessed your work people will start calling you all kinds of names. When I was a broke ass how many people asked me what was responsible for my poverty?
An education psychologist and former Director (State) National Orientation Agency, Chief Richard David attributed the trend to laziness and the desperation to make money through short cuts.
‘‘Most people don’t want to work,” he said. “Most people for instance don’t want to go for the regular service because they believe the money they will make will be too small for them. They want where they can make several millions without working.
‘‘Unlike in the past when you struggle to go into government service, work in company and so on, all these will take you time before you make money. But today how many people want to go through that rigour? They want to ride on the most luxury means without a genuine means of income.
‘‘You see people riding on porch cars and where do you trace the sources of sudden wealth to? So, it is the get rich quick syndrome.”
David who described the situation as ‘worrisome,’ noted that the situation may further degenerate and eventually denigrate the societal values. “If people are not rewarded according to ethics and moral principles that every society is supposed to be built on, then we are building on wrong values,” he said. “A situation where people who work will not reap any benefit but those who have questionable means of livelihood are being celebrated even with their suspicious means of wealth, many more would want to go into such vices in order to make money so they too could be recognized. How these people become rich overnight is not the case but today they are celebrated.”
He warned that the more the yahoo boys are accepted, the more others are encouraged to go and explore the dark world because the wrong signals have been sent out to others.
‘‘Like I used to say, when such people come to the church, a pastor is not bothered about their sources of wealth but all they do is to bless them and pray for them. So you are asking God to bless such thing. For me, this has been a major issue and it will be telling on our future.”
He advised that people, particularly parents should try to question the sources of wealth of their children or wards, adding that this must start from childhood. He said parents must monitor what a child brings back home from school, ‘‘even if it a pencil, ruler or pen that you know you did not buy for a child and he brings such home after school, ask question,” David advised adding,
‘‘When a child is in school and you do not send him pocket money and he has no other means of making money but the child is surviving and you said O! my child is doing well, from what source?”
He however advised that parents and the society should go back and find out where the society got it wrong and recreate those values that have gone missing to save the country from moral decay.
Edo State Police Public Relation officer, Chidi Nwabuzor when contacted on phone to comment on what the command is doing to stem the activities of internet fraudsters, declined to pick repeated calls placed to his mobile phone.
The Economic and financial Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies have continue to trail and beam searchlight on yahoo boys owing to their lavish life style but enough success has not been recorded going by the count of arrest made vis-à-vis convictions recorded in the last decade. However, there is hope!
