A Peep Into The Scary Matricidal World Of “Yahoo-Boys” -By Isaac Asabor

Ask anyone how much he or she values his or her mother, and you will unarguably be treated with rollicking tales about how important moms are.  In fact, the word “Mother” resonates with blissful unconditional love and care which the basic need of every child is.  Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that the reason for the existence in a child’s life is endless and it surprisingly applies to the entire living world of humans and animals. The connection of children with their mothers appears to be timeless as the bond starts way before birth. If we go to jot down the list of reasons that make moms so important, then it might seem endless, but a few reasons why a mother is so important for a child are self-explanatory, and they cut across the fact that a mother’s love is unconditional.

The foregoing fact can be buttressed by opining that one look in a mother’s eye for her child, is enough for the child to decode what such a look means, and understand what unconditional love is all about. Though we all have seemingly become a pro with words and can exactly convey our emotions, expressing a mother’s love in words is still very problematic. For a mother, a child always remains her baby even if he turns 60 or becomes a tycoon, a leader, or a thinker. Without being emotional about this theme in this context, others hold this strong aspect of loving their children in any phase of life or situation. This unconditional love of mothers is what makes them so special for every child.

At this juncture, it is not an exaggeration to say that not a few artistic people in both the entertainment and literary worlds have used their works to eulogize and testify to the love their mother showered on them while growing up.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that Prince Nico Mbarga of blessed memory used his music titled “Sweet Mother” to eulogize his mother, and a notable lyrical line “Sweet Mother, I nor go forget you, for this suffer wey you suffer for me” resonated 1976 that it was reportedly said that, at least thirteen million copies were sold across the African continent, more than The Beatles’ bestseller “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Even in the contemporary musical world where innovative and creative millennials and Gen Zs are unarguably holding sway, the memories of the love their mother showered on them whilst growing up, or the motherly support they respectively gained from their mothers as they tried to breakthrough into both local and international music scenes have not been lyrically neglected as they have continued to shower their mothers with praises on exhibited motherly-love.

It goes without saying that the foregoing view would be incomplete in this context if musicians and singers that dedicated a track to their mothers are not mentioned.  For instance, Wiz Kid’s track, “Mama Mi” wherein he employed his native tongue, Yoruba, to sing, Adekunle Gold’s “Mama”, Flavour’s “Mama”  ft. Chidinma and Asa’s“So Beautiful”  are a few songs dedicated to mothers that can be mentioned in this context.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is not an exaggeration to say that the proverbial phrase, “Different strokes for different folks” which simply means different ways of doing something are appropriate or suitable for different people, can explanatorily be brought to bear in this piece to say that while not a few youths in Nigeria are using their creativity to eulogize the love they have for their mothers that the same cannot be said of infamous “Yahoo-Boys” who now kill their mothers for the ritual purpose of becoming wealthy or stupendously becoming rich.

For instance, a peep into the scary matricidal world of “Yahoo-Boys”showed that an-18 year-old-boy, Samuel Akpobome Emobor, had confessed that he killed his mother and slept with her corpse for the purpose of a money ritual.

Samuel who hails from Oghara in Delta State committed the act at their rented apartment in Ologbo community in Ikpoba-Okha local government area. Speaking to newsmen when he was paraded at the Edo State Police Command, Samuel said he was pushed to commit the act by a ritualist who sells drugs in the community.

According to him, “I wanted to use my mother for ritual. I am 18 years old. My father is dead. It was one man called One Love that told me to use my mother for a money ritual. He promised to give me N50,000 if I kill my mother and sleep with her. He said I should cut my mother’s ear and fingers and bring them to him.

“I wanted to cut the ears and fingers before the people came in. I slept with my mother only once. I pressed my mother’s neck to kill her while she was sleeping. The One Love sells drugs. He put something inside the drink he gave me and he told me to go and kill my mother.

“The day I went to his house with policemen, the man ran away. I hail from Oghara. I work in a pure water factory.

“I now feel very bad because I was beaten badly by people. I did what the ritualist told me.”

Police Commissioner Babatunde Kokumo, said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

In a similar vein, it will be recalled that the Lagos Police Command on September 4, 2018, arraigned one Taiwo Akinola before an Igbosere Magistrates Court sitting in Lagos, for an alleged attempt to kill his mother by smashing an electric stabilizer on her head. The accused, 28, is facing a lone count of charge bordering on attempted murder. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. O.A. Komolafe, ordered his remand following his non-guilty plea.

According to the Police Prosecutor at the time, Kehinde Omisakin, Akinola, a resident of No. 2 Raji Ajanaku Street, Ayobo, a Lagos suburb, committed the offense on August 19 in the year under reference.

The prosecutor revealed that Akinola in a bid to kill his mother Iyabo Fawole, 68, smashed an automatic voltage stabilizer and a wooden stool on her head, thus contravening Section 230(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

As gathered, the suspect alleged to be a ‘yahoo yahoo’ fraudster and a cultistwas arrested by the police in an alleged failed bid to kill his mother for a money ritual.

The disclosed to the police that he was acting on the instructions of his native doctor (babalawo) to kill his mother and become rich quickly, and calabashes containing human skull and other mixtures were allegedly recovered from his room by the police on August 19, and he was being detained and interrogated by the police.

Given the foregoing scary narratives, it is expedient to urge the society to start treating teenagers and youths whose sources of income are doubtful as delinquents, and even as criminals that are not worth emulating by anyone even as the governments at all tiers with their security apparatuses should rein in their nefarious activities.