Pastor Ibiyeomie Calls Internet Fraud ‘Stealing Plain and Simple’

If there is one message that has cut through the noise around cybercrime in 2026, it is the blunt declaration by Pastor David Ibiyeomie that internet fraudsters in church are still thieves, no matter how spiritual they appear on Sunday. The founder of Salvation Ministries, headquartered in Port Harcourt, told his congregation in early September 2026 that online fraud popularly called Yahoo Yahoo remains stealing, regardless of how the practice is rebranded, justified or dressed up in prayer.

The clip, which has since circulated widely across X, TikTok and WhatsApp groups in Nigeria and Ghana, has reopened a national conversation about the long, uncomfortable overlap between Pentecostal Christianity and the cybercrime economy that has shaped global perceptions of young Nigerians. Ibiyeomie’s tone was unusually direct for a televangelist, and the reaction online shows that his words are landing in a country still struggling with how to talk about fraud without sounding either self-righteous or dismissive.

What the pastor actually said

In the viral clip, the clergyman can be heard addressing worshippers directly, telling them that no amount of reasoning, scripture-spinning or prosperity theology can turn fraud into honest work. He reportedly used the colloquial term Yahoo Yahoo, the Nigerian slang that has become shorthand for advance-fee scams, romance scams and business email compromise, to make his point land with ordinary members of his congregation.

The full message, as reported by Linda Ikeji’s Blog on its September 2026 post, was simple: if the money you made online came from deceiving another human being, you are a thief. The pastor did not soften the language. He did not promise that tithes or seed sowing could launder the proceeds. He told anyone who had been living a double life that they needed to repent, restitute where possible, and stop.

Why the message matters in 2026

Nigeria’s cybercrime problem has not gone away. The country’s anti-fraud agencies, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, continue to publish sobering quarterly figures. International partners, including the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, still treat West African fraud corridors as priority investigation zones. In the first half of 2026 alone, multiple Nigerian nationals appeared in foreign courts for alleged roles in business email compromise and romance fraud rings.

What makes Ibiyeomie’s intervention different is the pulpit. Religious leaders in Nigeria carry cultural weight that politicians and security chiefs often envy. A Sunday sermon in Port Harcourt, Lagos, Warri, Owerri or Aba is still one of the most effective broadcast platforms in the country. When a pastor with international television reach describes internet fraud as theft, the message reaches living rooms, bars, salons and taxi parks that the EFCC cannot easily access.

The timing is also significant. Nigeria is in the middle of a youth unemployment conversation that refuses to die, and young people, especially young men, are often caught between legitimate hustle and the lure of fast money. Church leaders who address this directly, instead of collecting offerings from suspected fraudsters and looking the other way, are staking out an uncomfortable but necessary position.

The long, uncomfortable overlap between religion and Yahoo

This is not the first time a Nigerian pastor has spoken against cybercrime, but it is one of the most public interventions in 2026. For years, journalists, analysts and activists have documented a pattern. Some young men allegedly involved in fraud have been known to attend all-night prayers, pay heavy tithes, build church buildings, and sponsor pastors’ private jets in the hope that spiritual cover will protect their illicit income. Investigative podcasts in 2024 and 2025 profiled several of these cases, and Nollywood films have mined the same theme.

The opposite pattern has been just as troubling. Some churches have been accused of celebrating sudden, unexplained wealth from young congregants, asking no questions about the source. Pastors have been filmed publicly blessing young men who arrived at church in exotic cars, while ordinary members struggled with transport fare.

Ibiyeomie’s message, blunt as it is, is an attempt to push back against that culture. By calling Yahoo Yahoo stealing in plain English, he is drawing a moral line that should have been obvious: the method of theft does not change the sin of theft. A laptop in a Lagos bedroom is not holier than a cutlass on a roadside.

How Nigerians online reacted

Within hours of the clip surfacing, Nigerian social media split into familiar camps. One camp praised the pastor for courage, arguing that the church has been too quiet for too long. Another camp accused him of hypocrisy, asking why other wealthy church figures had not been subjected to the same scrutiny. A third camp used the moment to demand a national conversation about poverty, unemployment and the moral compromises that follow when legitimate opportunities close.

On X, the hashtag tied to the sermon trended for parts of the weekend, with users sharing clips, reaction videos and memes. In Ghana, commentators picked it up as well, since Accra and Kumasi have their own Yahoo subculture and their own church debates about it. In South Africa and Kenya, the conversation turned comparative, with users asking whether local churches on the continent were willing to take similar stands on fraud and corruption.

Several civil society voices used the moment to push a more practical agenda: financial literacy, digital skills training, and credible pathways for young people who currently see Yahoo as the fastest route out of hardship. They argued that sermons alone, no matter how fiery, will not move the needle unless the economy gives young Nigerians a real alternative.

What the law in Nigeria says about cybercrime

Nigeria’s legal framework against cybercrime rests primarily on the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act of 2015, with amendments and supplementary regulations rolled out in subsequent years. The Act criminalises computer-related fraud, identity theft, phishing and related offences, and it has been used by the EFCC to secure convictions in several high-profile cases. Penalties range from fines to multi-year jail terms, and the law provides for asset forfeiture.

However, enforcement has historically been uneven. Investigators often face challenges tracing funds across multiple jurisdictions, especially when proceeds are quickly converted to cryptocurrency or moved through informal value transfer systems. Convictions are more likely when victims cooperate with foreign agencies, which is why many Nigerian suspects have been extradited or prosecuted abroad.

The Ibiyeomie sermon is unlikely to change any courtroom outcome, but it does shift the cultural environment in which cybercrime is normalised. When respected religious figures publicly name the act as theft, it becomes harder for communities to treat suspects as clever businessmen who have simply outsmarted foreigners.

What churches across Africa can learn

The reaction to the Port Harcourt sermon has spilled beyond Nigeria. In Accra, Nairobi and Johannesburg, pastors are watching how their own congregations respond to similar pressure. Ghanaian churches in particular have faced their own Yahoo scandals, and South African preachers have had to address the parallel problem of syndicated investment fraud run from pulpits.

The lesson for religious leaders across the continent is straightforward. Silence is no longer neutral. When a pastor knows, or strongly suspects, that a major donor built the offering on fraud, continuing to accept that offering without comment is a moral choice, even if it is wrapped in the language of divine mystery. Ibiyeomie’s approach, for all its bluntness, offers a model: name the sin, refuse to glorify the loot, and point the congregant toward restitution and honest work.

What internet fraudsters in church should actually do

For any reader who recognises themselves in this conversation, the practical steps are well known but rarely followed. First, stop active operations immediately, because every new victim increases both legal exposure and moral debt. Second, consult a lawyer familiar with the Cybercrimes Act before making any public statement. Third, where restitution is possible, begin quietly returning funds to identifiable victims. Fourth, replace the income with verifiable, legal work, even if the early months feel punishing. Finally, do not mistake one viral sermon for genuine transformation. Real repentance is slow, costly and boring, and it is measured in changed behaviour, not in Sunday applause.

The bottom line

Pastor David Ibiyeomie’s September 2026 message to internet fraudsters in his church was short, plain and difficult to misinterpret. Yahoo is stealing. Stealing is sin. Repent and stop. Whether that message will be matched by state action, by economic opportunity for young Nigerians, and by other religious leaders remains to be seen. But for once, the moral language was clear, and that alone makes this sermon worth paying attention to.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Pastor David Ibiyeomie?
He is the founder and General Overseer of Salvation Ministries, Home of Success, headquartered in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. He is known for his Prosperity-focused sermons and his televised broadcasts.

What did the pastor say about internet fraudsters in church?
He told his congregation that online fraud, popularly called Yahoo Yahoo in Nigeria, is theft regardless of how it is justified, and called on those involved to repent and stop.

Is Yahoo Yahoo illegal under Nigerian law?
Yes. The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015 criminalises computer-related fraud, identity theft, phishing and related offences. Penalties include jail terms and asset forfeiture.

Why is this sermon trending in 2026?
The clip resurfaced in early September 2026 and spread across X, TikTok and WhatsApp, sparking debate about the overlap between Pentecostal Christianity and cybercrime culture in Nigeria and across West Africa.

Source: Linda Ikeji’s Blog, September 2026

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