RANDOM POST: BE CAREFUL, BE VERY CAREFUL Part 1.

The unemployment rate is disturbing in Nigeria and this leads to so much idleness, idleness leads to so much empty hours, empty hours leads to desperation, desperation leads to deep thinking, deep thinking leads to either a positive or negative solution. In most cases, jobless people who need quick money abide with the negative solution. Hence, we have so many people committing criminal acts just to get money quickly; so much thought is not put into the process of doing something illegal, especially the consequences. The most popular criminal act of getting quick money is “cyber crime” popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo” in Nigeria. A friend of mine was a victim and I decided to write about her experience to warn my lovely readers. I have changed the real names but the story is non- fiction.

My friend “Remi” is down to earth and friendly, she has over 1000 contacts on her blackberry messenger, people add her every day, if you use BBM, you will know that people who don’t know you often add you randomly to either increase their contacts or to genuinely socialize. Remi got a BBM request on one Saturday, this new contact did not introduce herself, she just remained a silent contact on Remi’s list.

A week later, Remi receives a broadcast about Human Hair Sales, she decides to help the seller rebroadcast. After an hour, her newest contact pings her to ask her questions about the broadcast. This is the first time her newest contact has sent her a message since she added this person. Remi decides to ask her “how she got her pin? why has she been silent? And other general questions like “what’s your name? where are you based?, Remi’s new contact says her name is “ADA” and goes further to tell Remi more about herself. She says she is half ibo, half Indian, she was born in Nigeria, she lives in Lagos, her Father who is the Indian parent works with Chivita, she is the last girl in the family, she is a doctor with an oil company that has a hospital in Lagos, her family is really wealthy but she prefers to be independent, she is 30 years old and single. Remi feels the information is too much and Ada is over sharing especially since she doesn’t know her in person but later concludes that Ada is just a very open person.

Over time, Ada and Remi become very close chat buddies, Remi doesn’t say much about herself other than basic gist, Ada keeps confiding in Remi every day. One day, Ada tells Remi she is bothered about her life, Remi asks her “what the problem is” Ada says she is already 30 years old and still unmarried, she feels lonely and her work as a doctor doesn’t let her socialize or avails her the opportunity of meeting the opposite sex in a neutral environment.

Remi feels sorry for her and decides to play “the match maker”. Deji is one of Remi’s friends on BBM, who has been her friend for over two years and always confides in her about settling down soon. Deji wants to get married but tells Remi that it is hard to find a wife material in Lagos. Since Ada is based in Lagos, Remi feels it won’t be a bad idea for Deji to meet Ada. So she introduces Ada to Deji via BBM, after a while Ada stops chatting with Remi. Remi decides to tease her friend Deji and tells him he has stolen Ada from her. Deji sends an “eye rolling” and “lips sealed” smiley, Remi curiously asks him if everything is okay? Deji says he is yet to meet Ada because she is always busy and he is not interested in someone who asks him to send 250,000 naira to her account on the second day of chatting. Remi is surprised and calls Deji a liar, that is impossible, Ada is not that kind of lady besides she comes from a wealthy family and her job pays well.

Deji believes Ada is a fake person and also believes Ada is probably not a female, Remi becomes disturbed by his suspicions.
To be continued.