Prominent human rights activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju has expressed concern over what he described as the growing moral and behavioural decline among Nigerian youths, linking it to rising cases of cybercrime and questionable social media trends.
According to Punch Newspaper, Adeyanju made the comments during an interview on The Honest Bunch Podcast, where he discussed the challenges facing young people in the country and the social and economic pressures influencing their choices.
A video clip from the interview, which circulated widely online on Thursday, showed the activist speaking critically about what he described as an increasing obsession with quick wealth, online validation, and social media fame among Nigerian youths.
He argued that these pressures are shaping behaviour in ways that are becoming increasingly concerning, particularly among teenagers and young adults who are highly active on digital platforms.
According to him, many young women are now engaging in the consistent posting of provocative content on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, while a growing number of young men are becoming involved in internet fraud, commonly referred to as “yahoo” in local parlance.
Adeyanju warned that these trends reflect deeper societal issues, including unemployment, peer pressure, and the influence of social media culture, which he believes are contributing to poor decision-making among young people.
“Go and look at young people today. Many are exposing themselves online, while others are involved in fraudulent activities,” he said.
He further stressed that the situation requires urgent attention from both government and society, noting that moral guidance and stronger institutional support systems are needed to redirect young people towards more productive paths.
Adeyanju also shared an experience from a recent visit to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, where he said he encountered a large number of young individuals being investigated for alleged cyber-related offences.
He described the experience as distressing, particularly because many of those he saw were teenagers who, in his view, should still be in school or under proper parental guidance.
In his words, “I visited EFCC and saw many young people, some as young as 15 to 18, being treated as suspects. It is heartbreaking to see lives being affected at such an early age,” he stated.
The activist noted that while law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to tackle cybercrime and other forms of financial fraud, greater emphasis should also be placed on prevention, education, and rehabilitation.
He argued that addressing the root causes of youth involvement in crime is essential to reducing the growing number of cases being reported by anti-graft agencies……See More
Leave a Reply