Veteran ace comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, aka Ali Baba, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to go after any entertainer who uses his or her work of art to encourage internet fraud popularly known as yahoo-yahoo.
Alibaba made the call when he spoke in an interview with EFCC. According to him, using the work of arts; either music, plays, books, films, comedy or any other forms of creative art to encourage cybercrime or economic crimes, is also a crime itself, adding that the EFCC, should go hard on any member of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Nollywood group or their counterparts in the comedy industry who do so.
He said for entertainers to use their work of arts to try to justify crime and criminality would be tantamount to breaking two rules, by taking advantage of their creativity, which gave them popularity to encourage crime and that one is an entertainer doesn’t make him above the law adding that any entertainer who is found wanting should be dealt with to discourage others.
He added that EFCC should have social media monitors to keep track of fraudsters by going online to look for search for them and smoke them out, so that they don’t influence young minds, who may think that what they see on social media are ways of life.
The veteran Comedian observed that most entertainers in the industry are not telling the true stories behind their so-called fortune.
‘’I see a lot of entertainers who show off on social media of their expensive lifestyles. I will be like, ‘how many events has this comedian organised or anchored that gave him this kind of money that he his flaunting. You see them with packs of dollars with the caption ‘all we do is to spend money’, anyone who works legitimately won’t do that”, he stated.
Ali Baba counseled entertainers to show example by trying to make sure that their content discourages the act of criminality and internet fraud.
He enjoined the Commission to help in the fight against piracy, which he said is killing creativity of the entertainers and robbing them of their wealth adding that the EFCC should have Film Series that teaches the general public that internet crime doesn’t pay.
According to him, the content should be educative, entertaining and engaging, and that the campaign should be taken down to homes, schools and religious houses and should be aired on media stations throughout the country.
