Everyday in Nigeria, one is inundated with one horrifying news or the other.More bewildering, is the recent trend in stealing of female pants and menstruation pads for money rituals, by internet fraudsters, popularly called Yahoo Yahoo Boys. TheCyber crime began at the initial stage with the intent to swindle gullible persons, within and outside the country.
With time, these criminally minded persons, devised new techniques to satisfy their excessive crave for wealth, with yahoo yahoo graduating into yahoo plus, owing to the introduction of diabolic acts.
First, it began with hypnotizing victims and it gradually progressed to sleeping with ladies; be they commercial sex workers or girlfriends of perpetrators. At the end of the sexual intercourse, the yahoo plus individual, would clean the lady’s semen with a white cloth which would thereafter, be taken to their herbalists who would prepare some rituals with them. After the ritual is performed, the lady in question would either fall ill or die.
Excreta
Today, several methods have been introduced. This include eating of excreta, which came to limelight about three years now. Used babies diapers were not left out, as they were reportedly picked from dump sites by agents employed to gather them for users. In February last year, news of how a lady caught her ex-boyfriend discussing how he ate bread and excreta as part of activities for money rituals went viral.
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The lady, Barbie Ulonna, had gone to visit her boyfriend, when she overheard him discussing the sore moment he consumed faeces, in a conversation with his friend.
She also, attributed a kiss she shared with the undisclosed boyfriend as a reason she had mouth infection.
Urine
Strange as it may sound, today, there is also a new trend of using urine for ritual purpose. In this case, if one urinates on the sand, a yahoo plus member will pack the sand stained with the urine, to his herbalist who would prepare the rituals.
Female pants
But the most trendy of them all is the stealing of female pants. Saturday Vanguard gathered that the targets are mainly female between 16 to 32 years. A stolen pant under this category as revealed by some suspects, is sold between N200,000 and N300,000, while agents who scout for them are paid between N20,000 and N30,000.
The price for pants of virgins or any lady who is confirmed not to have aborted, as learned, is higher and its said potency unmatched by the rest.
Findings also revealed that discharges from ladies virginals are what herbalists use to prepare the rituals.
Immediately that occurs, owners of the used pants would start getting emaciated without cure, except through God’s intervention. Sometimes, victims will remain barren for life. This methods as reliably gathered, was imported from other African countries.
One would have expected such pseudoscience acts to be obsolete, going by the sprawling worship centres across the length and breadth of the country and the exposure of Nigerians.
But investigation by Saturday Vanguard revealed that stealing of pants for ritual purpose is not only used for yahoo plus but by politicians as well, as pant theft was discovered to be in the increase as the elections drew closer.
Record showed that news of this new pattern started from Delta and Edo states before it spread to other states.
Delta State
Ugheli : On December 9, 2018, a young man was caught by local guards at Agbarha, Delta State, with stolen female pants and braziers. When he was questioned by a mob who beat him to a pulp, he revealed that a man whom he approached to reveal his source of wealth to him, instructed him to get female under-wares.
According to him, “Any time I visit Tozak hotel, Ugheli, some boys would be spending lavishly. One day, I picked up to N5,000 from the amount they sprayed on people. When I summoned courage to ask them how they made their money, they told me to get female pants and bras and bring them to the hotel. But I only got bra, I am yet to get pants”.
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Umutu Community
Again, on January 2, 2019, in Umutu community in Delta State , two suspected pant thieves, were arrested with 10 female pants. They confessed during interrogation by an angry mob that they had been in the business after being frustrated out of school owing to poverty.
In this case, the duo of Emeka Nwosa and Jerry Obi, according to residents, forced a 15-year-old girl in the community who was on her way to the farm, to pull her pants and give to them. The apprehensive girl whose mother had earlier briefed her on activities of pant thieves raised the alarm that attracted people who subsequently arrested the suspects thereafter and handed them over to the Police.
Incredible
Last December, residents of Ogaga Street, Efurun in Ovwie Local Government Area of Delta state were shocked beyond words, as a woman, Mariam Abdul, reportedly vomited cash in naira denomination.
Her boyfriend, Taye Adekunle, reportedly raised the alarm that attracted neighbors. The victim as gathered, had alerted neighbors earlier, that her pants which she spread on the lines were stolen.
A neighbor who claimed to have seen and counted N5000 vomited by the victim, said the alarm was raised at about 3.45 am by her husband.
Most of these yahoo plus guys according to a fashion designer in Warri, usually boast that “Baba God will always provide data for subscription”. Ritual here, is described as data while subscription means renewal of ritual to sustain cash flow.
Edo State
At Agbor Park , in Benin City, Edo State, last month, another pant thief was nabbed on the verge of escaping with some female pants. The suspect had gone to a compound to steal the pants when some children who saw him reported to their parents, who subsequently raised the alarm. He was stripped naked, beaten to stupor and whisked to the police station.
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A month earlier, in Okpella area of the Edo state, a suspected internet fraudster was apprehended in his attempt to steal some pants.
The suspect in a video clip that went viral, confessed to have been introduced to a man from Taraba State, by a friend whose identity he gave simply as Collect. He stated further that the man told him to get ladies pants, after informing him that was the latest means of getting rich quick.
He said, “the Hausa man paid for the motorcycle that brought me to the street where I attempted to steal an underwear. Unfortunately, I was arrested”.
Again, at Ring Road, Benin City, Edo State, a man in his twenties was apprehended on January 5, 2019,by residents, following a failed attempt to escape with a stolen female panties. The suspect popularly known as Aboki, allegedly stole the female under wears numbering over 15, at Orominyan area by the residents.
Oba reacts
Irked by the spate of pant theft in the State , Oba Oba Ewuare II, of Benin Kingdom, last December, described the act as abominable and alien to Benin customs and tradition.
He therefore warned youths, particularly those who were into yahoo plus to desist from the act or face the consequences.
Ondo
From the South-South geo-political zone, the trend spread to the South West , with same scary tales.
In Ondo state for instance, a 25-year-old panel beater, Ojonugwa Adejoh, was arrested with some female pants. In his case, the materials belonged to his elder brother’s wife.
He was arrested alongside an acclaimed Prophet, Olajide Ogunleye, of the Celestial Church of Christ, ‘Ibanujemidopin’, Uso, in Owo Local Government Area of the state, who according to him, told him to get the stolen items for money rituals.
He told a bewildered crowd at the Ondo State Police Command Headquarters where he was paraded, that he went to the prophet to pray for success in business but that he was given some substance to chew after which he did not know how he got to his elder brother’s house and stole his wife’s and sister’s pants.
Unfortunately for him, his brother’s wife raised the alarm on noticing that her pants had disappeared from the line, immediately the suspect left their house. But the prophet denied sending him to bring the undies.
Also in Ondo state, attempt by a pant thief to lure an eight –year-old boy with N500, to bring his mother’s pants to him at a designated place, failed after the boy informed his mother who raised the alarm that led to his arrest.
Pastor’s daughter falls victim
Even men of God who are revered in Nigeria owing to our belief, are not spared in this new trend of yahoo plus. At least one would have expected anyone employed as guards in a church to put the sanctity of the place of worship into consideration.
But not in the case of Samuel Linus and Adekunke Ogundana, who were guards in an orthodox church located on Arakale Road, Akure, Ondo State, as they allegedly stole pants of the Pastor’s daughter which were spread overnight.
Again in Akure, the Ondo State capital, precisely on January 3, 2019, a 60-year-old man, suspected to be a ritualist, was arrested for allegedly stealing some female pants and braziers. In addition to the discovered stolen items in his possession, were about 12 already used sanitary pads.
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The suspect with an undisclosed identity, was caught by commercial motorcyclists who suspected his moves, at Danjuma area along Isikan road and demanded to know what was in his bag . They thereafter, descended on him and was at the verge of lynching him when some elderly persons rescued and handed him over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC
Campuses too- Kwara State
Investigation also revealed that some of these pant thieves operate in hostels. A vivid instance was the incident at the University of Ilorin, Kwara state in the North Central region of the country , where a man in his 20s, was apprehended on November 24, 2018 in one of the female hostels.
The suspect, went from one line to another, removing ladies pants, when some of the students who sighted him from the their windows, raised the alarm.
Anambra
From the South-South , to South West and North Central, it spread to the South East geo-political zone. By this time, angry mob resorted to jungle justice on any one caught.
In Anambra state, a middle-aged man, Ifeanyi, who was apprehended in Mgbakwu, Awka North Local Council Area of Anambra State, was at the verge of being lynched for allegedly stealing ladies’ pants.
He was caught in a students’ residential quarters while attempting to steal their undies. During interrogation by the mob, he revealed that he had stolen over 58 female pants before he was caught. He further disclosed that he usually sold them to one Emeka Ofor, in Enugu State, for N500 per one.
Also on January 11, 2019,a teenager, Chinonye Okorie, was arrested for allegedly stealing
a female pant that was spread on the line at 21 Umuna Street Odoakpu, Onitsha in Anambra State. He was alleged to have intended to sell it to a yet- to- be identified person for N80,000 , for ritual purpose.
IMO
In neigbouring Imo State, a suspect from Obowo, was arrested in Unuokoro Umuihi village in Ihitte/Uboma Local Government Area of the state with stolen female pants. But in his case, he kept sealed lips on who sent him, where he was taking them to and for what purpose.
Women forced at gun point to pull off pants
In their determined efforts to get rich at all cost, some of these gun wielding criminals resorted to accosting ladies at lonely areas , where they are forced to pull off their pants.
A recent incident occurred last week in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state, involving some members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.
The Corps members (names withheld) , were standing at a point in Ezillo in Ishielu Local Government Area, waiting to board a vehicle to Abakaliki, when a Jeep with two men, pulled over and volunteered to convey them to their destination for N200 each.
However, on reaching 135 Junction, the jeep diverted to another direction, after the men informed the ladies that they wanted to pick something from a teacher at St. Michael Secondary School, Ezzamgbo.
On reaching Oshiegbe community, a boundary between Ohaukwu and Ezza North Local Government Areas, the driver, stopped, informing again, that he wanted to ease himself.
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But immediately he alighted, he opened the back door and ordered the ladies to get down , pointing a gun at them.
He further ordered them to pull off their clothes and pants. One of the ladies who was in her monthly flow, had her stained pad taken with her pants. They also smashed their phones , apparently to prevent them from alerting the Police, before zooming off.
A similar incident also happened earlier, at Oroko-Onuoha in Abakaliki, area of the State. But in this case, the lady accosted was discovered not to be putting on pant. The criminals who were with new pants, were said to have given her one to wear and collected it back, after five minutes.
The Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP, Loveth Odah, who confirmed both incidents, therefore, cautioned women to be wary of these criminals and report them to the Police if sighted in their environments.
Lagos
Since the hulabaloo over pant theft started , Lagos State has recorded only one case. This followed the arrest of a white –bearded man in Ikeja, the state capital, last month, with suspected stolen pants and bras. He was alleged to have stolen them from where they were hung in a public compound commonly referred to as face-me-i-face-you.
Residents who saw him picking the undies accosted him but he was said to have prevented them from searching his bag and even threatened to fight anyone that attempted to touch him.
Unmoved by his threat, some youths forcefully collected the bag from him, where they discovered the stolen pants and braziers. But for the timely arrival of a team of policemen on patrol, the suspect would have been lynched.
Ladies go pant-less
As part of measures to prevent falling victims to pant thieves, some ladies have stopped wearing pants. They have resorted to wearing under wares called tight whenever they put on skirt, while others go pantless when putting on pair of trousers.
Commercial sex workers are not left out in this preventive measure, as some of them who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they usually hid their pants away from their customers reach whenever they wanted to attend to them.
Anointed pants
Some ladies now resort to sprinkling anointing oil on their pants before wearing them .A student of the Delta State University, Abraka, who simply gave her name as Ochuko, said , “ Since yahoo boys have resorted to voodoo, we have decided to go spiritual by sprinkling anointing oil on our pants, particularly the area where our virginals rest.
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“We also sprinkle Holy water on them before putting them on. By the grace of God, this phase will pass but before then, we do not want to be victims”.
Sit-and-watch
Others, have stopped hanging their pants on the lines outside. But for those who live in one-room apartment, they said they sit by their washed pants outside, until they dry up
a little bit before taking them inside, while owners of bungalow buildings in Delta state have started building high walls, to prevent easy access into their buildings.
Police react
Reacting to report on the alarming increase of pants stealing for money ritual, the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, during a live television programme, on ritual practices and ‘get rich quick’ scheme, said, “Stealing of underwear for whatsoever reason is a recent phenomenon. Before now, we had cases of ritual killings but we can’t investigate things that are not empirically verifiable except when there is convergence of the act like cases of murder or an attempt or related crimes”.
He added that the Police do not investigate divination.