By Saheed Ibrahim, Elisha Arafin, Damilola Akintunde and Itinun Adeniyi

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The cyber crime called “Yahoo Yahoo” is really booming into a larger size every day among Nigerians and it seams to be the major source of income to many youths in the country. Cyber crime is one of most prevalent crimes playing a devastating role in modern Nigeria.

This perfidy has become a way of life for many young Nigerians. It has become a menace and source of concern to both the country’s leadership and well-meaning citizens. The activities of these fraudsters have become pervasive and assumed international dimensions.

The Hope observed that the nefarious ‘hustle’ has now become a household practice that even mothers now encourage their children to pick up the unholy trade.

It will be a fallacy for anyone in present Nigeria to say he does not know one Yahoo boy or another. They are everywhere: streets, schools, offices, communities, anywhere one can think of.

It has also become worrisome that teenagers in secondary schools are being engaged daily into this criminal venture. All thanks to their unconcerned parents, we can conclude.

A month ago, a secondary school boy into the trade received money running to N380,000 from one of his clients. The boy, who was about writing his Senior Secondary School Examinations, told The Hope, in an interview, that he gave N90,000 to his mother and he also paid his WAEC fee.

He said he got a phone worth N170,000 and other things he needed. Unsurprisingly, his two elder brothers are big guns in the trade.

One may ask what kind of mother collects such money from her child but the truth is, Yahoo business is beyond the children, many parents throw their weight behind these criminals.

In the last edition of The Hope, it was reported that two Yahoo boys’ mothers fought over money from ‘clients’.

It was gathered that one of the boys  ripped another of the sum of $25,000,  equivalent to N9 million and converted it for his personal use.

He had allegedly bought a car and kept it with his friend while neighbours claimed that they saw him gallivanting around hotels with prostitutes. The young boys and their mothers were livid. Why should he spend the money alone? After all, he was not the originator of the deal.

The Hope was earlier hinted that there exists a group of Yahoo boys’ mothers. The Hope went further to confirm the existence of this group and why mothers support their children to engage in the criminal act.

From one of the boys, simply called Kay, “as for me, it’s lack of  financial support from the background, same as some other guys in the street. I pay my school fees myself, because my parents are incapacitated. So in one way or the other, I lift one burden out of my parents burden.

“Instead of them sending me money for upkeep, I basically send home money. Can you now see the difference? The reverse is the case. In recent times now in relation to the Nigerian society, some of my friends started hustling in the barracks”.

Another Yahoo boy, Daniel, confirmed that his parents had no choice than to support his trade.

“We barely ate in that house before now. And since I started, I am the one taking care of them. My dad retired and has no money. He has been sick. I foot his hospital bills.

“I pay my sister’s school fees and other bills. My parents even pray for me. So, what do you expect them to do? Curse or reject me? That is not possible you know”, he disclosed.

The Hope investigation also revealed that some of the parents had taken their children to prophets, Alafas and herbalists for fortification.

No gain saying, it has now become a family business. The major reasons for their support is not far fetched, “poverty”.

One of the mothers confided in The Hope that ” since we have built this house, we have had no money to finish it until last year that the Lord started lifting my child’s hand and I thank God I supported him when he needed my help.

“I took him to an Alafa  where I got soap for him to use. He has been so fortunate. I support my son in anything he wants to do because seeing how hard Nigeria is.

“I can’t lure him to go to school, where will I get the money to support his education? We all know Nigeria’s economy is bad and the leaders are not helping matters. I see nothing bad in what he is doing, so far he didn’t kill anyone.

Another mother also told The Hope that Yahoo business is not a crime. According to her, it is not money ritual but a brain job.

“Yahoo boys are different from ritualists. My son has not killed anybody and he will never do such. This Yahoo thing, everyone does it. Look at the country we are in, is there money anywhere?

“This money is even from the Whites and not that they are 419. So, why will I beat him for collecting money from abroad.

“We all pretend that it is bad but we spend the money all the time. As for me, I support him”, adding that she once took her son to a prophet for prayers.

In her words, ‘I took him to my spiritual father. He prayed for him and God has been answering the prayer. See me here; I could barely feed them but he has been the one helping me now.

“So, I do not see anything wrong. My own is, so far he does not kill anybody. I am fine,” she concluded.

However, one of the mothers said she had no choice but to let her son be.

She told The Hope she was not in support but she could not report him to the police because she would not want to lose him.

Her words,”I am so much irritated with my son’s fraudulent (yahoo)act. I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen.

“He always tells me he is into bitcoin. At a time I was so confused on this bitcoin of a thing but I later discovered my boy is really into Yahoo.

” I’m strictly against it and I can’t report him to the police. It is so difficult, Some years ago l lost one of my children and I do not want to lose this one, being the first child. I have tried so hard to curb him from the evil act but he is so adamant. Then I had no choice but to support him because I don’t want to lose him, but God will hear my prayers”

From the findings, a lot of parents know their children are into yahoo but they don’t want to report them because  they always remember an adage which says ‘If a man’s child is wicked he  can’t leave him over to the Tiger