By Olakunle Agboola – The incessant increase of internet fraud in Nigeria is becoming alarming and it is drawing great attention to the youth both in rural and urban area of Nigeria who have devised several means of swindling people through the internet. The urge to escape unemployment and poverty has driven a teaming population of youth into internet fraud and money rituals, which is popularly known as ”yahoo plus”.
Tragedy struck in Ibadan, Oyo state two weeks ago when a 20-year-old yahoo boy a.k.a Dollar suddenly collapsed while trying to open the gate to his house. This incident called the attention of nearby neighbours who were outside at the time of the incident. He was quickly rushed to the hospital but gave up the ghost before he got to the hospital. Dollar was accompanied by his friend, Teju who drove him from Lagos to Ibadan and on getting to his gate at Elebu, the unexpected happened.
According to Teju, this is a big surprise to me because I never saw this coming. We had a party in Lagos last night and in the early hour of the day; we hit the road back to Ibadan. We got to Ibadan at 11a.m. I drove the car and when we got to the gate, he alighted to open the gate. I was scared when I saw him collapse. I quickly rushed to him while nearby neighbours came to the scene. He gave up the ghost on our way to the hospital.
A close neighbour who chose to remain anonymous said, “Teju is very aware of Dollar’s death because they have been told that their money rituals will only last for two years and they agreed because they were desperate to be rich. It might be difficult for Teju telling the truth because of what they do in the secret. These are young guys of 20 years who in two years have gathered so much opulence for themselves. They both have three houses. They built one for their father, one for rent and one for themselves. They do not sleep in the house they built for themselves because they know the consequences. Rather, they sleep in hotel everyday with variety of ladies.”
The neighbour continued, “Dollar and Teju are into money rituals and I know the man behind their money rituals. He is a family friend in Owo. He told me the whole truth but now he is on the run for his life because he is wanted by the police in Owo. Dollar and Teju are from my hometown in Owo and I know them very well including their parents. The two of them used their mother for rituals. Their mother died two years ago when they were 18 and in two years, they have gotten themselves a financial fortune. Teju will soon die and it is just a matter of time.”
Kola, a yahoo boy who claimed to be an online hacker said, there is no doubt that Dollar and Teju are into yahoo plus. ”We grew up together in Owo but from a very poor family. I learnt how to hack from my brother’s friend who lives in Akure but comes to Owo almost every weekend. I hang out with him mostly weekends to learn. Dollar and Teju were learning as well at that time but not as good as me’’.
”I started making money at 16 years and they always come to me to ask for money which I do give them. It got to a time they got frustrated and started looking for a way out. Suddenly they just became rich and I knew they could not have made it big as online hackers because they do not know how to hack.” They just told me a story of how they duped two white ladies who paid so much money into their account.’’
Dollar and Teju relocated to Ibadan because of the rumour that they killed their mother for money rituals. The two of them built a house for their fathers in Owo, which their fathers did not accept. They do not sleep in the house they built here in Ibadan; rather they sleep in the hotel. Dollar and Teju will never allow anybody to sit in the front seat of their car except the ladies they are taking to the hotel at night. My concern is for Teju, if he could turn back and get help because he might soon die like Dollar.”
Yesterday morning at Elebu, Teju finally gave up the ghost. He died the same way as Dollar. This got a lot of people talking most especially the close neighours and friends who concluded that their death is not of natural occurrence but a tragedy of money rituals.
A close neighour who once spoke to our correspondent anonymously two weeks ago said, Teju did all to survive when Dollar passed on, but he could not survive it. He ran to several towns in Ondo-State, trying to get help. I called Teju to tell me the whole truth so that he could get help, but he refused to confide in me. It was a deep secret that he could not reveal to anyone because of the consequences. I was of the opinion of taking him to church, but he feared revealing the skeleton in his cupboard.
Kola said, Teju was never the same after Dollar’s death. ”He ran from North to South, but he could not find solution. He became restless and lost himself. I saw him struggling with death, but he could not come out of his shell. Most guys doing yahoo plus always claim they are just yahoo boys or hackers but a lot of them have taken it further dinning with the devil which always end in tragedy. There are several young people that I know have ended their life like Teju and Dollar. The death toll is increasing every day.”
Dollar’s father, Mr Babatunde said, he did not accept the house his son built for him when he got to know that the source of his wealth is not pure. Dolamu who you know as Dollar killed my wife to satisfy his thirst for wealth. I knew he would die because I have been told and the only way is for him to come out and confess his sins. I have persuaded him severally, but he refused to confess until he relocated to Ibadan and he stopped picking my calls. I am poor, but I am not looking for blood money.
Teju’s father felt bad about the death of his son whom also built him a house. He also claimed that he did not take the house from his son when he got to know that his son killed his mother for money rituals. “Teju could have been arrested but there is no proof that he killed his mother. We got to know talking to elders and we were told he will die. I lost my son two years ago when the hunger to become rich became so apparent. He could not stand the rumour that he used his mother for money rituals and that was why he ran to Ibadan with his friend popularly known as Dollar.”
He added, “The ritualist that got them into bondage ran out of this town when he knew his life was at risk. He has destroyed so many youths assisting them to get rich by all sorts of dirty deeds. We have reported him at the police station and the police are on the lookout for him. I pray he gets apprehended and killed too.”
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