Ibiyeomie to Yahoo Boys: Take Your Offerings Elsewhere

Pastor David Ibiyeomie, presiding pastor of Salvation Ministries, has taken a strong position against internet fraud, popularly called “Yahoo,” declaring that proceeds from cybercrime are stolen money and should not be presented as offerings in his church.

Speaking during a recent sermon, the cleric questioned how people involved in internet fraud could commit such acts against victims and still participate happily in church activities.

“Do you know there are Yahoo boys inside the church? They have no conscience. Even in this church, there are Yahoo boys. You will wonder, what is their conscience?” Pastor Ibiyeomie stated during the service.

He condemned attempts to portray cybercrime as something different from theft, insisting that money taken from another person remains stolen regardless of how the act is described.

“They will yahoo somebody and still be very happy in church. It is stealing. Yahoo is stealing. You are just colourising it, but it is stealing. Is it your money? I don’t care how much you colourise it; it is still stealing. Is it your money? Whatever you take that belongs to someone else is stealing. Yahoo is stealing. How can you be friends with a Yahoo person?”

Ibiyeomie further illustrated the consequences of cybercrime by recounting the experience of an electrical engineer and professor from Rivers State University, who he said had worked as a consultant on one of the ministry’s electronic sites.

The pastor said the professor was defrauded of all the money in his account, adding that the incident resulted in a fatal collapse.

“I know of a Professor in River State University, he was one of our consultants of at the site, an electronic engineer. This man they yahooed him of all that he had in his account. He physically held his buglar-proof and collapsed, he died. They took every money saved..”

Addressing members who engage in internet fraud, Ibiyeomie said they should not expect to donate proceeds from such activities in his church.

“And if you are in this church and you are 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.”

The Salvation Ministries pastor also rejected arguments that economic hardship can justify cybercrime, maintaining that Christians should not destroy other people’s lives or take their lifetime savings simply because they are facing financial difficulties.

He called on congregants to distance themselves from cybercriminals and reject money obtained through illicit means.

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