Most of you have must have heard about Trevor Jacob, the American YouTuber who deliberately crashed his own plane just to film it for views. He jumped out mid-air with a selfie stick, lied to federal investigators, and even secretly destroyed the wreckage to cover his tracks. That stunt eventually earned him six months in a federal prison. The US government made one thing clear: clout is not a get-out-of-jail card.
In Nigeria we
are having our own version of the Trevor Jacob story and the name at the center
of it is Blessing CEO.
Years ago,
Blessing CEO famously claimed ownership of a multi-million naira mansion
belonging to a billionaire, Onyeze Na Chime. She was eventually caught,
disgraced, and forced to apologize on camera.
A serious
allegation against Blessing right now involves an alleged staged Stage 4 cancer
diagnosis. A makeup artist and real cancer survivor, Deborah Mbara, has come
forward claiming that she privately shared her histology report with Blessing
to offer encouragement. That same report allegedly ended up doctored and posted
online as proof of Blessing's own illness.
The Nigerian
Medical Association's Delta State chapter has since confirmed that the document
in circulation was an altered version of Deborah's original medical record. By
the time the story started unraveling, millions of naira had reportedly already
been donated by sympathetic followers. Blessing has since called it a
"miscommunication" and quietly deactivated her social media accounts.
This is where
the law comes in.
The Cybercrimes
(Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended) is not toothless. Section
22 on Identity Theft covers the use of another person's identifying information
to further an unlawful activity. Using Deborah Mbara's private medical document
and presenting it as your own to attract sympathy and money is a textbook
example.
Beyond the
Cybercrimes Act, the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, is
equally relevant here. Obtaining money from the public through false pretenses,
colloquially referred to as 419, which is exactly what soliciting donations
using a fabricated illness amounts to, is a serious offence under that law.
Trevor Jacob was
jailed not because he made a video, but because he lied, destroyed evidence,
and endangered lives for engagement. Back here in Nigeria, the tools exist to
hold influencers to the same standard. The only question is whether the authoritieswill use them.
Note: In the
digital age, discernment is a survival skill. Verify before you believe, and
remember that behind every viral "miracle" or "disaster,"
there might just be a selfie stick and a lie.
