Money making gone bad

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Written by

Freelancer and IT enthusiast

2 years ago

In community: Just Write(e5e5)

Topics: Society, Reflections

There's a popular saying that money is the root of all evils. While this statement is a subjective one, the trend over time in my country of residence as well as in some others gives some level of credence to the expression. There has been an upsurge in the quest to get rich quick without putting in honest or lawful hard work. The presence of honest or lawful before hard work in the preceding sentence is by no means a mistake.

The reason for this is that one can become wealthy by working hard while engaging in dishonest or unlawful activities. It is now common place to see young people engaging in outrageous display of affluence while boasting more or less as to the illicit means by which they have acquired such wealth. The display ranges from needlessly driving expensive vehicles at high speeds as though they are race cars to spending ridiculous amounts of money on items that should ordinarily have been purchased at lower prices.

These youths who engage in these illegal money making ventures are popularly referred to as yahoo boys. This is in reference to the origins of their fraudulent activities whose perpetration began as far back as when Yahoo mail was the only email service provider which they exploited to perform their nefarious activities. Initially the targets were mainly foreigners who they swindled via scam e-mails. In its infancy some locals ignorantly supported this crime which constitutes economic sabotage in a sense.

The shortsightedness of these ignorant supporters was that those affected were foreigners hence it was no concern of theirs. It was only a matter of time before , the dragnet of these cyber criminals expanded closer home and they started targeting locals. Only then did the alarm bells start chiming, but alas it seems the bells weren't loud enough as no concrete and sustained action was taken by all concerned as it ought to have been to ward off this menace. Indeed, the chickens had come home to roost and they weren't taking any hostages.

The current dimension that this crime has taken which has been dubbed yahoo+ is indeed worrisome because of the extremes to which they have gone as well as how young the perpetrators are. If you haven't studied African culture or have some knowledge about metaphysics or how the spiritual realm operates, their actions will leave you baffled and speechless. Irrespective of your belief system though, the reprehensible acts that now accompany the quest for fast wealth will both sadden and enrage anyone that has a conscience.

In their quest for wealth, some youths have descenced so low that one can no longer imagine or say how low they can go. From eating excreta of babies, taking baths in broad daylight in grave yards to committing murder at the behest of so called spiritualists or vodoo practitioners, the list of abhorrent things they are willing to do to have and sustain a needlessly lavish lifestyle appears to now be endless. Young females are now an endangered species of sorts because they are being targeted by these criminals for ritualistic purposes which they believe is bringing them wealth.

Some have been murdered while others have lost their senses as a result of their encounters with these evil young men. Recently a story emerged about how some teenagers, the oldest being about 20 years old murdered one of their female acquittances and severed her head for ritual purposes which they believed would bring them wealth. It was in the act of roasting the severed head that they were apprehended.

Probably if they had succeeded no one would have known or bothered to ask what they did to get rich without any known job or beneficial skill set. The painful thing is that some young ladies are still falling victim to these criminals despite the widespread publicity that their crimes have received in recent times as to their mode of operations and the consequences for their victims.

The scene I witnessed just a few days ago points to the fact that some young ladies have refused to learn from the mistakes of others who have met unfortunate ends. A young man presumably a yahoo boy based on his appearance was dragging a young lady who towards a vehicle which it appeared she had just alighted from. While dragging her he was mercilessly dishing out slaps to her and searching a handbag she was holding.

The reaction to the scene from onlookers including myself was one of " na these boys again" ( as we say locally) but no one could do anything to intervene as someone pointed out that the young lady wasn't even crying out for help. Next thing the vehicle zoomed off with the young lady. Only God knows how that story will end. Who knows, perhaps the temptation and allure of associating with the 'big boys' and 'enjoying life' is simply too much for them to resist.

The value system which African societies used to be known for is fast eroding away or has totally eroded away in some places hence our present dilemma. While growing up no child dare take money home or purchase an item that was clearly above his means because he knew that even if others in the society failed or decided not to ask the right questions, it would surely be done at the home front.

Sadly these days encouragement to start "pressing computer" even comes from the home . It is so bad that some parents even purchase computers for their children to enable them start "bombing". There have been cases where mothers have been arrested alongside their children for being accomplices in the perpetration of internet fraud.

The houses of God which ought to have served as a refuge or rallying point of sorts from and against this evil that is ravaging the society have virtually being overrun by these criminals who are now 'extalted' even in these places of worship. I am not surprised though as most of those presiding in these so called places of worship are nothing more than con-men or selfish individuals whose sole goal is to satisfy their personal desires of wealth acquisition.

The bitter lesson to be learnt from our present moral crisis is to never support any evil or wrong doing because you think it doesn't directly or will not affect you as oftentimes the exact opposite happens. Also no evil or wrongdoing should be rated as small or inconsequential as that is how disasters or calamities often begin when left unchecked.

Most of the problems ravaging the world today began as insignificant challenges but because they weren't nipped in the bud, they developed to be the monsters that we are battling today. One thing is certain, this is not the last we will see or hear about internet fraud and its many variations as those hell bent on making money by any means are always at work seeking new avenues for money that is more often than not tainted with blood.