Founder and Senior Pastor of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, has condemned internet fraud, popularly known as “Yahoo Yahoo”, describing the practice as stealing.
Ibiyeomie warned that some internet fraudsters operate within churches and urged Christians to distance themselves from anyone involved in fraudulent activities.
‘Yahoo is stealing’
Speaking during a sermon, the cleric said fraud could not be justified regardless of how perpetrators tried to portray it.
He maintained that taking money belonging to another person through deception amounted to stealing.
“You know, there are Yahoo boys inside the church. Inside the church, they have no conscience. Yahoo boys, even in this church, there are Yahoo boys.
They defraud somebody and they are very happy in church. It’s stealing, no matter how you put it. Yahoo is stealing.
You are just colourising it. Yahoo is wrong. Yahoo is stealing. I don’t care how you paint it, Yahoo is stealing.
Whatever you take that belongs to somebody else is not your own; it’s stealing. Yahoo is stealing. I don’t care how you colourise it, Yahoo is wrong.”
Pastor recounts professor’s death
Ibiyeomie also recounted the alleged death of a university professor whom he identified as an electrical engineer and consultant.
According to the pastor, the professor was among the consultants who worked at one of their project sites.
He said the professor allegedly lost all the money in his bank account to internet fraudsters before collapsing and dying.
“How can you be a friend to a Yahoo person? Do you know that I know somebody, a university professor? He was one of our consultants at the site, an electrical engineer. I won’t call his name.
This man was Yahooed of every money he had in his account. He physically held his burglar-proof and collapsed. He died.
They took every money he had saved. He was talking with people and just went off. Every savings he had as a professor was gone.”
The pastor said the incident demonstrated the devastating consequences financial fraud could have on victims, particularly people who spent years saving their money.
He also criticised young people who allegedly use proceeds from fraud to acquire expensive cars and other luxury items.
“Now, such a man will come and say, ‘Boy, you don buy a car.’ Get lost with your car.
You can’t follow such a person. In case you are following such a person, separate from him now. And if you are a Yahoo boy in this church, go to another church and give your offering.
I don’t care how much you have. Go, go, go, because you are killing people.”
‘People have died because of Yahoo’
Ibiyeomie further claimed that some victims of internet fraud had died after losing their money.
He particularly mentioned retirees who could lose their gratuities and lifetime savings to fraudsters.
“People have died because of Yahoo. They will just steal like this, and their hearts will just fly. Somebody will retire, and all his gratuity, they will just take it.
Some people don’t have a conscience. They are dead.
You say, ‘Boy, stop this Yahoo.’ Now they say, ‘For what na? How man go take survive?’
Now, we don’t want you to survive like that. Oh, my God.”
The cleric maintained that economic hardship should not be used as an excuse for defrauding others.
He urged young people to pursue legitimate means of earning a living rather than enriching themselves by taking money from unsuspecting victims.
Watch the video here…
“Yahøø is steåling. If you’re in this church and you’re among Yahøø people, please don’t give your offering here, we don’t need it.”
— Pastor David Ibiyeomie says, as he recounts how his friend, who was a professor, di€d after being defr@uded of all his money. pic.twitter.com/mZFDBhehmV
— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) September 7, 2026