Citizen Antonia’s lucky escape

A young lady, Antonia, was recently in the news after being rescued from a kidnapper’s den in Delta State after being tricked by a supposed online lover. Vigilantes found her in a bush where she was reportedly tied to a tree. However, the money in her bank account had allegedly been moved to a betting account apparently owned by the criminals who coerced her into releasing her account details. Hers was an abduction with a difference as she had actually walked into the lair of the kidnappers of her own volition, albeit inadvertently, after the misrepresentations made to her by her online lover.

The sordid narrative was that Antonia had met and interacted with a man online. The man later requested that they meet physically at an address given by him. It was at that address that the story changed as the man, with the help of his accomplices, railroaded her into a bush where she was bound to a tree and dispossessed of her valuables, including her cell phone, which was used to transfer money out of her bank account. It was a quintessential online romance which ironically turned awry when the ‘lovebirds‘ met physically, ostensibly to consolidate their relationship. Apparently, it was only Antonia who didn’t know that danger was in the offing, and her captors would have proceeded to the next stage of their ignoble plan of using her for money rituals if not for the fortuitous intervention of the vigilantes who rescued her.

This is not the first time online romance had ended badly when supposed couples decided to meet up physically. This frequently happens, especially when the parties being deceived do not make full disclosure of their itinerary to their family members, relations or neighbours. And many of such cases involve fatalities, gruesome murders and the use of the human parts of the victims for money rituals. The horrific things that unscrupulous and misguided persons, especially young men, do often elicit questions about their humanity. You have a couple: one is thinking of pure love and the other is planning to do irreparable damage to the other party. It is insane.

We had stressed in previous editorials the imperative of being circumspect about online relationships, especially those shrouded in secrecy. Yes, genuine relationship could be, and indeed are still being, sealed online but given the preponderance of inordinately ambitious youths in the country who are aspiring to live a life of luxury without breaking a sweat, it is crucial to always don the cap of caution and discipline. In other words, if a potential relationship or love affair crumbles on account of being extra-careful, so be it. And in any case, who says another relationship that can survive genuine scrutiny will not happen? Citizens, especially young ladies, are admonished not to rush into emotional connections with men online. When they become emotive, reason tends to take flight and judgment is impaired.

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Although Antonia’s encounter with the criminals did not go the way of many before her, it is important to note that the circumstances that culminated in her travail could have been avoided if she had let her head instead of her heart go into the seeming relationship, at least for a while before the physical meeting. Yes, love and relationships involve emotions, but there is a need for a situational approach to initiating, nurturing and managing online love affairs/ relationships. This story is a warning to everyone regarding meeting strangers online. And as we have always advised: if you are going to meet people, especially strangers, leave digital traces. We are not against romantic relationships but circumspection is called for, especially in these perilous times of money ritualism. With the resurgence of relationship scams and other acts of criminality associated with relationships as exemplified by Citizen Antonia’s recent travail, we reiterate that if you are going to meet someone you don’t know, leave or give clues to your loved ones and/or neighbours on how you can be traced. That way, they can follow up on you if they suspect that things aren’t going as you had represented to them.

 It may also be helpful to let your ‘host’ know that there are many people around you who know you are with him or her. This may trigger him or her to think twice about going ahead with the pursuit of ignoble objective. Many parents assume that their children are in school, but they are not and it becomes really difficult to locate them early enough and try to obviate dangers whenever untoward incidents are about to happen. This is not the era when youths can meet total strangers without taking any precautions or disclosing their whereabouts to their parents and loved ones. Despite the resistance of many children and youths to it, there is no substitute for proper upbringing by parents and guardians. This will likely prevent them from becoming felons or falling cheaply for the antics of criminals. It is evident that Antonia on the one hand and her captors on the other could have done better with proper upbringing at the family level.

It is heartening to know that the vigilantes who rescued Antonia have handed her captors over to the police. We urge a painstaking inquiry into the incident and the arrest of everyone linked to the dastardly act. The disclosure by one of the suspects that Antonia’s money was transferred to a betting account and that one of his partners had gone out to lure another potential victim into their trap suggests that the police may be dealing with a criminal syndicate. The syndicate must be dismantled and its members brought to book.