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By Omotayo Ojo
The music industry in Nigeria in its contemporary state is so much awash with indecency to the extent that when you turn on your radio or download a song, there is the likelihood you hear songs that subtly promote cyber crime.
Innocently, some music lovers who are more thrilled by the rhythms of songs rather than lyrics have lent their support to the popularisation of these groovy but morally blank songs, without having an inkling of the messages conveyed in the said music.
This rapid disappearance of morality in Nigeria’s music space is fueled by the harmonious fantasy [life is all about flamboyance] existing between artistes and cyber criminals.
Recently, a heated debate on the melodious relationship between our young artistes and cybercrime ravaged the internet after, a lawyer turned rapper, Falz generally condemned usage of slangs related to ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’, our own Lingua Franca for cybercrime.
Many music lovers believed Falz was attacking 9ice’s Living Things and this was how the discourse became a viral topic.
In the ‘Living things’ song, 9ice mentioned all forms of cybercrime ranging from ”Wire-Wire” and “Money Order” – which are both common means cyber criminals adopt in transferring money from their victims’ bank account to themselves; he also referenced marriage fraud.
He particularly explained the marriage fraud, a part of his lyrics said in Yoruba, “O le je kan ma marry…kin sha ti lowo” which intepretes as a feigned romantic intentions towards a victim, gaining their affection, and then using that goodwill to commit fraud.
We will never forget other songs like ‘Yahooze’ from Olu Maintain; Kelly Hansome’s ‘Maga don pay’; Rapper, Olamide even named his record label ‘Yahoo-Boy-No-Laptop’, all of the tagging along with ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’ mentality is what most of Nigerian artistes relied on for a quick glory in a country where morality is on the low.
In fact, saying Nigerian artistes promote cyber crime will be an understatement, especially when some of them who were baptised in the waters of cyber crime are already resurrecting in the global scene as fraudsters.
Profiting from crime
Recently Singer, Oyindamola Johnson Emmanuel, popularly known as Dammy Krane was arrested on several counts related to theft in the American city of Miami.
Krane was arrested by TapJets, the Private Jet service provider who he allegedly intended to deceive, by booking their service with a stolen credit card.
Also, recall that in July 2016, Nigerian rapper, Babalola Falemi, popularly known as Sauce Kid was sentenced to two years in federal prison for stealing $15,388 using stolen credit card numbers in Boise and Meridian Idaho, United States of America.
Entertainers in Nigeria’s movie industry are equally not sainted in this whole affairs, as there are instances where script writers infuse cyber crime related dialogues in their script to portray ‘quick-money’ syndrome and the industry as also witnessed its own share of actors, actresses who have been indicted, punished in their wild chase for money.
In 2006, A popular Yoruba movie actress, Hassanat Akinwande Taiwo, popularly known as Yetunde Wunmi was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for cocaine trafficking. This is denting the country’s national image and making us undesirable in the comity of nations.Nigeria’s image as a country has been seriously tarnished by the above specie of cyber-crimes.
Nigeria’s image as a country has been seriously tarnished by the above species of cyber-crimes.
Quoting a report from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Buhari once said “Nigeria has been ranked third in global internet crimes, coming after United States of America and United Kingdom respectively.