By Asaye Bankole
The presiding pastor of Salvation Ministries, David Ibiyeomie, has warned internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo boys,” against bringing proceeds from cybercrime into the church as offerings.
Speaking during a recent sermon, Ibiyeomie condemned internet fraud and described it as nothing more than stealing, regardless of the name or justification given to it.
The cleric expressed concern that some people involved in cybercrime still attend church and make financial contributions from money allegedly obtained by defrauding unsuspecting victims.
He questioned how anyone could take another person’s money through fraudulent means and still feel comfortable worshipping and presenting such proceeds as an offering.
“Yahoo is stealing. You are just giving it another name, but it is still stealing. Is it your money? Whatever you take that belongs to someone else is stealing,” he said.
Ibiyeomie also urged Christians to distance themselves from individuals involved in internet fraud, warning that the activities of cybercriminals can have serious consequences for their victims.
To illustrate the impact of cybercrime, the pastor recounted the case of an electrical engineer and professor at Rivers State University who, according to him, worked as a consultant on one of the ministry’s electronic projects.
He claimed that the professor lost his life savings after fraudsters allegedly emptied his bank account.
“I know of a professor at Rivers State University. He was one of our consultants at the site, an electronic engineer. They yahooed him of all that he had in his account. He physically held his burglar-proof and collapsed. He died. They took all the money he had saved,” Ibiyeomie said.
The pastor subsequently issued a direct warning to anyone within his congregation involved in internet fraud, saying such individuals should not bring proceeds from their activities to the church.
“And if you are in this church and you are doing Yahoo, you will go to another church and do your offering. I don’t care how much you have because you are killing people.
Many people have died because of Yahoo,” he said.
Ibiyeomie further dismissed economic hardship as an excuse for cybercrime, stressing that financial difficulties do not make it acceptable to take another person’s hard-earned money.
He encouraged members of the church to seek legitimate sources of income and avoid activities that could cause financial and emotional devastation to others.
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