[b]From Yahoo-Yahoo to kidneys for money?

By Gbenga Kayode



Friday, 29 Jul 2011



The fear is that in five to 10 years, what will be left of the African or Nigerian Information society space will be pieces of recycled information about the bad things happening in Nigeria, ”



A certain Edward Popoola, a Nigerian, was quoted to have made the above statement in a write-up way back in 2006, in response to the spate of the so-called “Yahoo-Yahoo Boys”, who trick unsuspecting individuals, groups and organisations online to part with their money.



Nevertheless, in their desperation to make quick money at all costs, scores of these young Internet fraudsters, male and female they are, of late have reportedly changed strategies into more dangerous ones in the course of reaping where they have not sown.



Hitherto, their approaches such as “Yahoo Plus”, “Yahoo Plus Plus”, both described as “challenging, but lucrative and profitable” had been the rave of the moment. These terms simply mean the use of diabolical means to improve their chances of extorting money and other material things from their victims jokingly described as “Magas” online. Now, they have graduated to overseas travel to sell their kidneys for money.



Sadly, recent media reports confirmed that in their inordinate attempts at becoming wealthy overnight, many of them now travel to European and Asian countries, specifically Malaysia, to donate kidneys in exchange for cool cash. In the process, such desperate young Nigerians allegedly travel to sell one of their kidneys each, collect N10m per kidney donated, and head back home to “enjoy their wealth”.



It is, however, regrettable to note that a number of such young people have given up the ghost, weeks after their return from abroad, without surviving the ordeal to either expend the money or stay alive.



Of about 10 of these boys who had dropped dead in recent was the hitherto promising boy in the Ojodu area of Lagos State not long ago. Amid wailing and weeping by the deceased’s loved ones, a post-mortem was said to have been carried out on his corpse, and alas, the result revealed that he had been operated upon. It was gathered, that pressure from the deceased’s family on one his close friends later let the cat out of the bag: He disclosed what actually happened to the late young man in Malaysia.



This latest “kidney-for-money” bazaar by these young, mischievous ones sure continues to hammer the country’s image badly in the international system. A Nigerian businessman caught in the vortex of the ensuing bad impression being created about Nigeria in the global arena was quoted to have summarised his experience thus: “I’m not so much worried about the insult and shame the scams have brought on every Nigerian in the Diaspora than the problem it has caused many budding entrepreneurs in and outside the country.”



What did he mean as regards the direct implication on the fortune of most Nigerian businessmen and women? The man further revealed that many genuine business people who need letters of credit or similar instruments from Western financial institutions, or interact with customers and affiliates overseas are not having it rosy these days.



Interestingly, however, Miss Juliet Ehimuan, Country Manager, Google Nigeria, urged a delightful audience at the Broadband Investment Summit 2011, in Lagos lately, that with the increasing awareness and penetration of broadband Internet technology among Nigerians, the country should effectively leverage Information and Communications Technology tools to satisfy “latent demand” for Nigeria’s talents that could be turned into good products, including those in entertainment, culture and other unique businesses online and achieve more positive results.



With the determined support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, IT professionals and the media, there ought to be continuous, massive national campaigns against online scams.



Parents, guardians, community, political and religious leaders should also assist this nation in teaching morals towards reviving the societal value system. This will further dissuade many of these distracted young people, who engage in all manner of absurdities to make money while risking their precious lives in the process.



Since the current administration has ‘Human capital’ improvement and ‘Wealth creation’ as part of its projected development agenda, it is then, high time it created an enabling environment and partnered with the private sector, so that more small and medium-scale enterprises will spring up and thrive.



With these compelling measures in place, such unemployed youths can be absorbed and be gainfully employed, instead of turning to crimes to survive in these austere times.



Despite that it has been proved medically that the average human can live on just a kidney, those who still contemplate storming Malaysia, or any other country to sell their kidneys for cool money should stop living in a fool’s paradise. What if the kidney being surgically removed from them happens to be the more functional one after all? What will happen to the individual? Indeed, an express invitation to sudden death!



While parents and guardians should be responsible in monitoring their children and wards, the government as well can liaise with the Malaysian Embassy in Nigeria to be more stringent in their Immigration guidelines, by asking these young ‘kidney hawkers’ questions before they are issued visas to leave Nigeria for their country. For vigilant and responsible parents and guardians, “a word,” an aphorism says, “is enough for the wise.”



- Gbenga Kayode, CEO, Wordkraft Communications Limited, Lagos. E-mail: gbengakayode@wordkraftmedia.com 0805-613-8208

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http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201107293421642

I have heard stories from my Asian friends of some instances involving non-Africans, in fact a specific case of someone robbed of his kidneys - very terrible. He picked up a babe at a party who was working for a cartel, got drunk / drugged and ended up in the bed room with the babe. Before the morning and before he could be found, the criminals behind the set-up came in, put him in a bath of ice, sliced him up and took away his kidneys!! Here is my take: For a Nigerian who will travel to anywhere to sell his kidney or any part of his body for 10M has no other reasons beyond: ignorance, total lack of education or enlightenment, hopelessness in his immediate and remote future all leading to poverty of the mind and body! This situation is created and perpetuated by the state of the Nigerian society where most of the resources of the society has been stolen and continually plundered for the richest who cannot stop feathering their own nests. At the end of the day, it is a leadership and societal values problem.

When someone is ignorant and totally uneducated or enlightened, he would be deceived with the promise of a better life easily "abroad". He will not ask HOW and WHAT he will do to get all the things he is being told in such a short time! I am sure that someone so poor, to start with, can never afford to travel to Malaysia by himself! Someone would sell him the idea and deceive him and by the time he gets there, it is too late! (Similar reasons are applicable for people languishing in foreign jails due to transporting illegal drugs across international boundaries). He will be killed if he tries to escape and his organs stolen nonetheless. I hope people can direct their attention to the kind of people who "lead" Nigerians: an ignorant, totally uneducated or unenlightened and hopeless person in Nigeria is a pawn marked for death or exploitation outside Nigeria and places like Malaysia of all places. Even their cops can not and will not save you because the mafia that control this kind of operations are extremely powerful have the highest level of their law enforcement in their back pockets. Well if it were America or similar countries, there will be a lot of hope to survive if he could escape long enough to find a cop or someone to get it to the authorities. In places like Malaysia, Thailand, China, etc; you'd have to pay with your kidney or your life. Your coming there was someone's investment and they will get their investment back with a profit!

Edo boys. My people. You dey hear o. 50% of my brothers for home don tear commot go anywhere as long as its not naija.
Abeg slow down small o. Garri better pass coffin o.

dplordx:

Edo boys. My people. You dey hear o. 50% of my brothers for home don tear commot go anywhere as long as its not naija.
Abeg slow down small o. Garri better pass coffin o.

Tell them by broda!

When u talk they will tell u say "something must kill a man!"

ok people do it in america bone marrow, selling blood etc

Yoruba boys started yahoo yahoo thing in Lagos but many igbo boys are in Asia country especially Malaysia.