Copyright tribuneonlineng
OFTEN, around the world, Nigerians are treated shabbily. They have often complained, and very loudly too. Racism, regardless of whatever shibboleths certain optimists about the human condition may be holding unto, is alive and kicking. When Nigerians, like many other Africans, are treated like trash at foreign airports and many other places on account of the colour of their skin and they complain, they are reacting like any normal human being would. They have dignity and want it respected. However, while racial prejudice is real, it is also true that many of the times that Nigerians, in particular, are maltreated in foreign countries, it is due to the criminal record of lawless Nigerians in those climes, and the generally bad optics that Nigerians are associated with. Around the world, many people look at Nigerians as inherently fraudulent people, and it does not help that almost on a weekly basis, Nigerians are arrested for fraud and drug-related crimes in the countries of Europe and Asia, and the Americas. Indeed, in many countries, once you mention or it is discovered that you are a Nigerian, particularly from certain ethnic backgrounds, you are immediately asked to step aside, frisked, and subjected to intense interrogation. With the possible exception of the holders of diplomatic passports, carrying the Nigerian passport comes with stigma that is extremely hard to deal with. Sadly, there is no indication that those giving fellow Nigerians a bad name abroad are ready to put a halt to their criminal activities. For instance, buoyed by the validation and reverence they receive from a Nigerian population now accustomed to silence at the sight of sudden, unexplainable wealth, romance scammers are not exactly keen on letting up. In former times, people would have asked probing questions. Time and again, Nigerians are linked to romance scams that do incredible damage to Nigeria’s reputation. Recently, a Nigerian identified as Ikechukwu was arrested in Argentina over alleged multiple romance scams involving thousands of women, and for leading an international cybercrime network. The arrest, which was disclosed by INTERPOL on its X handle, was reportedly carried out as part of Operation Jackal, an INTERPOL-coordinated initiative that targets West African organised criminal groups. Ikechukwu’s arrest was said to have marked Argentina’s first arrest of a most wanted #RedNotice fugitive who is also on the list of the international police via its Silver Notice project. The statement explained that the Silver Notice project launched in January 2025 has the objective of assisting countries in tracing and recovering criminal assets. As if the Ikechukwu case wasn’t bad enough, a s3xtortion network traced to Lagos, Nigeria, was also recently linked to the death of 16-year-old American schoolboy named Evan Boettler. The boy committed suicide just 90 minutes after receiving a blackmail message on Snapchat from a certain individual posing as a teenage girl. According to the BBC, Evan, from Missouri, had been communicating with an account under the name JennyTee60, and the person had lured him into sharing explicit images of himself. Armed with those images, the scammer began ruthlessly blackmailing him. One of the messages sent to him read: “I have your nudes, and everything needed to ruin your life.” Said Evan’s grieving parents, Kari and Brad Boettler: “When they finally told us that night that he was gone, it didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t hard to parent him because he was such a good human.” When investigators eventually tracked down the perpetrators, one of the scammers identified only as Ola, revealed their modus operandi: “You open a female account using fake names from fake generators. It’s a site where you get names of people from the country that you want.” When asked if he felt any guilt, Ola replied: “I don’t feel bad because I need the money.” How sad that innocent, law-abiding, patriotic and conscientous Nigerians have to complain about shabby treatment on foreign soil even while fellow Nigerians daily commit acts that leave Nigeria’s reputation in the mire! Clearly, the criminals involved in romance scams, a demonic venture that leaves innocent people in despair as they lose their life’s savings while under the assumption that they are in a relationship with someone that truly loves, appreciates and cares about them. Often, some of the victims are ruined for life and some even develop mental health complications. Back home, however, their tormentors are treated with reverence and acclaim and, in some cases, even given chieftaincy titles that are usually bestowed on citizens who have made a massive impact on the community. On the streets, in beer parlors (pubs), in nightclubs, family meetings and other gatherings, these outlaws are given honorific titles such as “Odogwu” and “Alaye”, with hardly anyone asking how they came about their sudden wealth! The rule seems to be to make money however you can, and live life to the fullest. The government should clamp down heavily on romance scammers. They are criminals and should be treated as such. By their actions, they are putting innocent compatriots in a difficult position around the world. Indeed, there is the distinct possibility that Nigerians who are genuinely interested in romantic relationships outside the country could be treated with suspicion simply because Nigerians have acquired a notoriety for romance scams. The romance scammers, some of whom even complain of bad treatment of Nigerians abroad while doing things that make the outside world to look down on Nigerians, have no business inhabiting decent company: they belong in jail. Ola, one of the scammers arrested in connection with a s3xtortion plot that claimed the life of an American boy, placed his monetary need over the loss of a human life. But just how can you cause another person to commit suicide, yet declare that you do not feel bad? We urge the government to take this issue very seriously and tighten the noose on romance scammers. The Nigerian passport is not going to be redeemed without it.
