By Chinedu Adonu

Philanthropist Dr. Ejikeme Odumegwu, the Owelle of Nsukka, has launched a campaign against cyber fraud and indecent dressing among youths in Nsukka, while awarding scholarships to 14 indigent students.

The campaign was unveiled at the weekend during the Aji (Enugu Ezike) Deanery Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON) Fiesta. It aims to curb internet fraud—popularly known as “Yahoo syndrome”—and promote moral discipline across the Nsukka Catholic Diocese.

Addressing the theme “Scams and Schemes: Why the Yahoo Syndrome Is Not the Answer”, Odumegwu urged young people to deepen their faith and revisit the Ten Commandments. He encouraged youths facing family pressure to engage in idolatry or wrongdoing to seek help from their chaplain, Rev. Fr. Teclus Ike Ugwueze, pledging to support anyone disowned for rejecting neo-pagan practices.

He announced that his Owelle Ejikeme Odumegwu Foundation would fund scholarships for candidates who sat the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with 13 beneficiaries expected to receive support for courses of their choice.

In a dramatic moment, a young man, Jude Adonu, publicly renounced his membership in a cyber fraud group. Odumegwu pledged ₦10 million to sponsor his education from senior secondary school to a law degree, describing him as a “future lawyer.”

“I have come back to Enugu Ezike to stop the Yahoo menace,” Odumegwu declared. “Security agencies should confront the moral decay of ‘yahoo yahoo’ among boys and indecent dressing among girls. Motorcycles without license plates should be impounded, as they are often used for criminal activities.”

Beyond educational support, Odumegwu provided financial assistance to a woman living with mental illness, urging that she be connected to psychiatric care. He also rewarded participants who answered questions during the event, offered free blood group testing, and provided refreshments.

The philanthropist pledged to make the campaign an annual programme in collaboration with parishes, priests, and the bishop’s office.

Representing the Diocesan Bishop, Most Rev. Godfrey Onah, CYON Chaplain for Aji Deanery, Fr. Ugwueze, announced four additional scholarships—two for male and two for female candidates—to study at Mario’s Institution. He commended Odumegwu for investing in education and crime prevention.

Medical laboratory scientist Ngozi Ogbonna, who conducted free tests for participants, warned against the get-rich-quick mentality, especially among young women. She revealed that about 90% of those tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) returned positive results, stressing the need for awareness and preventive health measures. She also advised couples to undergo blood compatibility tests before marriage to avoid complications like stillbirths linked to Rhesus factor incompatibility.

The event’s high point was the formal handover of Adonu to Odumegwu by his father and the dean of Aji Deanery for relocation to Enugu, where he will resume his education after dropping out in senior secondary school.