A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Olajide Ajana, has called on parents and political leaders to give proper training to their children in order to reduce crimes in the society.
Ajana, a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, made this call on the heels of the growing trend of ritual killings and cyber crimes across the country.
The legal practictioner said that cyber frauds and ritual killings in the country usually involve the youth adding that despite their becoming rampant, they could still be curtailed.
“On daily basis, we hear the news of how young adults are getting involved in ritual killings and cyber crimes.
“The recent one was the news of three boys that were caught while roasting the head of an alleged girlfriend to one of them; their excuse was that they needed her head for money ritual.
“The news is the same across the country for cyber fraud popularly called ‘Yahoo boys’ who also engage in rituals as well as hypnotising and manipulating their victims for money rituals.”
Ajana attributed the descent of the society into a ritual and a fraudulent society to the social and economic challenges in the country.
He said that the downturn in the economic posture of the country which had led to the depreciation of the naira, had shot up the profile of Nigeria among the poor countries of the world.
Ajana also ascribed the menace to the fact that millions of Nigerian youths had been thrown into the unemployment market.
“This growing poverty in the midst of abundance is the major lure and attraction of most Nigerian youth to the now popular ‘yahoo economy’ which is the growing trend in our society.
“It is now common to see boys of 16, 17 and 18 years old driving exotic cars, which cost millions, as well as buying cars and building houses for their parents.
“Such parents who rejoice and celebrate those teenagers will never question the source of their sudden riches and wealth.
“The glamour in turn attracts other youths who are now of the belief that education and hard work are no longer the ways toward achieving greatness.”
He said that most youths had come to the conclusion that engaging in ritual killings and greed were the quickest means to becoming wealthy.
He said that parents and guardians should give close monitoring to their children by finding out what they were doing and where they were at every time.
Ajana said that cyber crime had considerably depleted the economy and the business atmosphere in the country.
He urged all those in leadership to embrace the responsibility of training their children just as they had been enjoying the glamour, powers and opportunities their offices and positions had conferred on them.
