Obaseki: ‘Yahoo Boys’ must be brilliant… we must redirect their thinking positively

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, says his administration is ready to tackle the proliferation of Internet fraud in the state.

Speaking on Friday at an education town hall meeting in the state, the governor said the Internet fraudsters, better known as Yahoo Yahoo boys, must be very brilliant to carry out such illegal activities.

Obaseki noted that the government needs to help the fraudsters redirect their thinking into positive ventures.

“I am concerned. Cyber fraud and Yahoo culture are big issues. I am calling on everyone to please send as much information as you can to my office,” Obaseki said.

“On Monday, I am going to see the chairman of EFCC. I am not condemning those involved. There must be a reason why that culture has become so prolific in Edo state. We must find the root cause and address them as we did in the days of trafficking.

“Let’s see how we can correct it because these children must be very brilliant. The kind of things they do, how they hack into other people’s accounts. How do we re-direct that thinking into something more positive?”

In January, a video of three teenagers searching for where to learn internet fraud in Edo state had surfaced online and gone viral.