On the 16th of August 2019, Nigerians woke up to the shocking news of the arrest of Young Nigerian Billionaire, Obinwanne Okeke, (Invictus Obi) by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation team.
The FBI had in an affidavit disclosed that Obinwanne was arrested for wire fraud valued at over $12-million.
He was said have fraudulently initiated a business on behalf Unatrac Holding Company, an Export Sales Office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and farm equipment in United Kingdom.
The news did not sit well with many Nigerians – most especially the youthful population who had for many years inspired by many ‘achievements’ of the CEO of Invictus Obi Group.
Okeke came into prominence when he was in 2016 listed amongst the Africa’s 30 entrepreneurs under 30 by Forbes magazine, an international publication.
“This is the most important list of the year for Forbes Africa. If one young African reads it and is inspired enough to start a business, it has done its job. Entrepreneurs like Obinwanne are proof that there is hope for Africa,” Chris Bishop, managing editor of Forbes Africa, was quoted to have said in the publication.
How then would a cerebral entrepreneur turned to a ‘criminal’ overnight? This is the question being asked by many Nigerians who were left in awe of the news of his arrest.
While Nigerians were still try to phantom the reality of the arrest of Okeke and the denting image and ridicule his arrest brought the country, Boom! The FBI struck again with the release of names of 80 people it said were high-profile internet fraudsters.
The FBI alleged the 80 individuals’ duped vulnerable people and business of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Interestingly, 77 names on the FBI list are Nigerian.
This further aggravated the already tensed atmosphere with many Nigerians trading blames over the incidents.
THE BLAME GAME
The Nigerian Twitter community and other interactive platforms went frenzy on the arrest of Invictus Obi and 77 other Nigerians, what were they saying?
The FBI’s indictment took the ethnic dimension with some blaming the Igbo ethic group for the ‘national embarrassment’. Why, of the 80 names released by the FBI, 77 were of Igbo extraction.
However, the defenders of the Igbo race will have you blame the government for ‘failing’ to provide basic amenities which includes jobs for the youths. “If they were gainfully employed, they’ll not go into crime,” they argued.
It is important to state that DNAs of average Nigerian has been invested with corruption hence the increasing rate of its exportation to other countries. It has been proven that there are more high and low profile Nigerians who make their money through fraud and criminal activities than many are willing to admit.
Most Nigerians are paradoxically and simultaneously, accomplices, active participants, victims and agents provocateurs of corruption in their society but the attempts to ethnically profile the FBI 77 and Invictus Obi as “Igbo Crime Culture” is most unfortunate.
It is imperative to state that these crimes are perpetrated by youths who have learnt from the crime culture from their leaders whose antecedents were not in any way different from the youths of the day.
The National Assembly and the executive arm is filled with elements of questionable characters. How do we explain a government that appointed a minister with forged certificates?
THE FBI’s STEROTYPE
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) profiling the suspects was also unfortunate. Crime is a crime no matter who is involved but to tag them ‘Nigerian criminal syndicates’ revealed the heinous agenda of the security outfit.
It is clear that the Nigerians arrested or put on the wanted list are not anywhere near the list of the most dreaded fraud syndicates terrorizing the country.
The Vitaly Borker’s of this World are citizens of the United States; he fleeced fellow Americans with no question of his origin.
Nigeria was not even amongst the top 20 countries of the world fleecing innocent people in cybercrime. The United States itself ranked 3rd with its citizens not spared in the nefarious cybercrime activities.
So the FBI’s stereotype on the names of the indicted felons was malicious and should not be allowed to stand.
THE WAY FORWARD
It is utterly shameful that despite the abundance of God’s giving talents, some Nigerians still take the dishonorable path to swindle others of their hard earned money.
It is expected that the full weight of the law would be wielded on these individuals. As Nigerians, it is time for quick examination of why fraudulent accumulation of wealth should be discouraged. We can achieve greatness if we choose an ideal course and preserve of dignity.