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By Lizzy Chirkpi
A young man in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, has tragically died after losing a lot of money to online scammers, known as “Yahoo Boys.”
The victim, identified as Utibe Eteffia, said to be in his early 30s and ran a Point of Sale (PoS) business, took his own life over the weekend after being cheated losing the sum of N2.5m.
The street where Utibe lived is now filled with sadness. He ran his business near the office of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
Before his death, Utibe posted strange things on social media. He showed pictures of burning candles and asked sad questions like, “Do you believe in coming back to life after death?” He also told people to be kind to one another, even though he was going through a dark time.
People who lived close to him said he started counting down the days. He wrote “27 days left” online and started keeping to himself. He even gave his phone and ATM card PIN to his sister, as if he knew what was going to happen.
A friend, Aniefiok Isang, said Utibe asked him for rat poison. He later got some from a chemist. He thereafter went to his village and, after going to church and spending time with family, he reportedly drank the poison.
The next morning, his family found his dead body on the porch. They didn’t find any notes, but people in the community say he was tricked by online scammers. They say he might have joined a secret “Yahoo Plus” group online, which made his sadness even worse.
His story shows how dangerous online scams can be. People are now asking for more help for those who lose money to these criminals. They want the government to do more to stop these scams to avert this variant of tragedy.