A tweet by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investiagtion (FBI) highlighting six Nigerian nationals federally indicted and wanted in connection with elaborate schemes targeting business executives out of millions of dollars drew sharp rebuke from many Nigerians on Saturday.
Help the #FBI find six Nigerian nationals wanted for their involvement in business email compromise (BEC) schemes resulting in over $6 million in losses. Read more about each defendant at https://t.co/Q1OToaIVsl, and submit tips at https://t.co/iL7sD5efWD. #FugitiveFriday pic.twitter.com/67TZPHLgHA
— FBI (@FBI) June 27, 2020
According to the details of the information released by the FBI, 79 individuals are listed as wanted for various cybercime offences, most of them of Arabian, Russian and Asian descent.
Many Nigerians, wondering why the FBI focused on six Nigerians out of 79 individuals, described the action as an unfair attack on their country’s reputation – one that reeks of racial bias.
See some of the reactions:
I checked this list, there are 39 men of Arab origin, 16 Russians, 20 Chinese/Southeast Asian guys, and just 6 Nigerians.
But guess who FBI chose as the poster boys for this crime? The 6 Nigerians.
What “-ism” is this? https://t.co/VSDvG8ECDS
— Mayowa (@Mayoveli) June 27, 2020
Racism at its peak.
This list has:
39 men of Arab origin
16 Russians,
20 Chinese/Southeast Asian guys
6 Nigerians.But racist FBI has chosen the only 6 Nigerians as the poster boys for this crime.
Criminals are in every nation of the world but the moment you are black…..
— Tosin Olugbenga (@TosinOlugbenga) June 27, 2020
A cyber crime is committed there are 79 Persons: 16 Russians, 20 Chinese, 6 Nigerians and 37 men of arabic descent.
Our dearest FBI choose to use 6 Nigerians for their headline,by the time we realize the hate it’ll be so far gone.
Y’all can do better FBI,you can do better???????? https://t.co/72CTkAdv2S
— BENUEGIANT???? (@one_dosh) June 27, 2020
In this article we have 79 criminals: 16 Russians, 6 Nigerians, 20 chinese and 37 men of arabic origin but ofcourse Nigerians must be poster boys for this article.
This is a misleading headline trying to paint Nigerians bad because of 6 bastards. https://t.co/A9cMsVC7oM
— Bayo (@mr_adebayo5) June 27, 2020
This is a deliberate attempt to make Nigeria look bad as many people won’t even read the Article
In the article there are 79 Persons: 16 Russians, 20 Chinese, 6 Nigerians and 37 men of arabic descent but the headline is showing only 6 Nigerians. Smh#BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/MaPlGdQHXE
— DANNY ???? (@Danny_Walterr) June 27, 2020
Why is Nigeria the subject of this tweet? You have over 70 people on the wanted list with just 6 Nigerians why is the concentration on the 6 Nigerians? This is a very bias tweet, @FBI. https://t.co/Lixa2J7T3b
— Olúyẹmí Fásípè ???????? (@YemieFASH) June 27, 2020
I counted 79 wanted criminals, almost 20 are Russian, about the same number are of Chinese origin (including syndicates), a sizeable number are Arabian etc. The minority black/Nigerian 6 of 79 instead made the headline. Is there a Nigerian agenda going on with the US government? https://t.co/MG0AEUQQof
— JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) June 27, 2020
This sensationalizing bullshit is the reason I commended Dubai Police. They captured scammers of Nigerian descent and paraded them as “international cyber criminals.” But you activated Nigerian nationality-baiting, even though there are only 6 Nigerians out of these 79 scammers.
— Gimba Kakanda (@gimbakakanda) June 27, 2020
We are good people and work legitmately to make ends meet.
Please do not judge us based on the greed of these six miscreants.
BTW the original list contains 16 Russians, 20 Chinese and about 35 people of arabic descent. Kindly post for all to see.— freethinker (@Elmaxi_ubongy) June 27, 2020
You used the name ‘Nigerian’ as click bait, when there are other nationalities here
All Nigerians are not scammers, this type of post encourages the stereotypes that makes other countries keep profiling us as scammers
Not all black people are thugs, not all Nigerians are frauds
— JAGS (@EtniesJags) June 27, 2020
The six Nigerian individuals, believed to be in Nigeria, are accused of conducting business email compromise, romance fraud, and other types of fraud.
The FBI has neither retracted nor offered an explanation for the tweet at the time of filing this report.
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