Pastor David Ibiyeomie, founder and senior pastor of Salvation Ministries, has warned members of his congregation involved in internet fraud, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo, telling them to stop the practice or take their offerings elsewhere.
The cleric spoke during a church service, where he expressed concern that individuals engaged in internet fraud could still attend church and worship despite the harm caused by their activities.
Ibiyeomie described Yahoo Yahoo as outright stealing, insisting that no justification or attempt to give it another name could change its nature.
He said, “Do you know that Yahoo boys are inside church? Inside church! They have no conscience. Yahoo boys are… even in this church, there are Yahoo boys.”
The pastor maintained that money obtained through internet fraud belongs to other people and, therefore, amounts to theft.
“It’s stealing, no matter how you put it. Yahoo is stealing. You are just colourising it. Yahoo is what? You are just stealing! Is it your money?” he said.
Ibiyeomie also recounted the experience of a professor and electrical engineer at Rivers State University, whom he said had previously worked as a consultant at a site where he was involved.
According to the pastor, the professor lost all the money in his bank account to internet fraudsters, an incident he said had devastating consequences for the victim.
He said the experience highlighted the severe human cost of internet fraud, particularly when fraudsters target people’s life savings, retirement benefits and other hard-earned funds.
He said, “Every savings as a professor, all his savings, they duped him. Now, such a man will now come and say, ‘Boy, buy car. Get lost with your car.’ You can’t follow such a person.”
The Salvation Ministries founder subsequently advised members of his church who associate with internet fraudsters to immediately distance themselves from such individuals.
“In case you are following such a person, separate from him now,” he said.
Ibiyeomie then issued a stronger warning to anyone involved in Yahoo Yahoo within his congregation, saying he would not accept offerings obtained through fraudulent means.
“And if in this church you are Yahoo, go to another church and give your offering. I don’t care how much you have. Go, go, go, go, go! Because you are killing people,” Ibiyeomie said.
He further rejected the argument often advanced by internet fraudsters that Yahoo Yahoo is a means of survival, insisting that financial hardship does not justify taking what belongs to others.
“Some people say, ‘Stop this Yahoo,’ and they say, ‘For what? Na so man go take survive? Na so man go take eat?’ Now, we don’t want you to survive like that,” he said.
