Elephant Memories History Podcast

419: The Secret World of Nigeria's "Yahoo Boy" Internet Scammers (Part 1)

You've probably heard of the so-called "Nigerian Prince" scam (AKA "419", Yahoo, advance fee fraud etc). But who are the people behind the Nigerian scam? In this episode (Part 1 of 2 episodes on this topic), we will journey into the world of the so-called "Yahoo Boys". I’ll be discussing their world with Carlos Barragan: a Spanish journalist who met and interviewed several Yahoo Boys after one of them scammed his mum and convinced her to fall in love with him, by pretending to be an American soldier.

Nigeria Under General Sani Abacha: The Military v The People

What role did Nigeria's current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu play in the 1990s pro-democracy campaign? What was it like living under the military government of General Sani Abacha? This episode is a continuation from Episode 6 ("Untold Stories of the June 12 Election Annulment in Nigeria") and covers the terrifying 1993-1998 military rule era when a mysterious wave of assassinations, bomb blasts, and repression terrified Nigerians into fearing their own government.

Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup in America: How the Super Eagles Shocked the World

How Nigeria amazed the footballing world with its breathtaking attacking and flair at the 1994 World Cup in America. Was this the best African team to ever play at the World Cup?

Untold Stories of the June 12 Election Annulment in Nigeria

The Babangida military government’s annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election plunged Nigeria into its worst political crisis since its civil war over 20 years earlier. Why was the election annulled? The annulment also buried the role of many courageous pro-democracy activists who campaigned for an end to military rule (despite being targeted with a terrifying wave of assassinations, bomb blasts, and repression). In this episode, one of those pro-democracy activists (Kayode Ogundamisi) spoke to me about the key people and parts of the June 12 story that history forgot.

Expat Adventures in Nigeria: Corporate Warfare (Part 1)

What is it like being an expat in Nigeria? British businessman and former CEO of Guinness Nigeria Keith Richards lived and worked in Nigeria for over 20 years. During that time he had movie style adventures such as encountering the niece of a powerful politician who wanted to kill him, a workplace where an employee tried to murder a rival executive by poisoning him, negotiating with armed vigilante group the Bakassi Boys (who were known for summarily executing criminals), and meeting Nigeria’s most powerful politicians such as formerPresident Obasanjo and the intimidating former Minister of Defence Theophilus “TYD” Danjuma. This is Part 1 of two episodes with Keith. Keith also wrote a book about his time in Nigeria entitled “Never Quite the Insider: a Nigerian Memoir”. He also wrote a novel entitled “Which of your Sons?” You can read more about Keith on his website at: https://outsiderinside.co.uk/ [https://outsiderinside.co.uk/].