A day in the life of a Nigerian scammer: “Why Nigeria? There are many theories. The nation of 130 million, Africa’s most populous, is well educated, and English, the lingua franca of the scam industry, is the official language. Nigeria bursts with talent, from former NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon to Nobel literature laureate Wole Soyinka.

But with World Bank studies showing a quarter of urban college graduates are unemployed, crime offers tempting career opportunities – in drug dealing, immigrant-trafficking, oil-smuggling, and Internet fraud.

The scammers thrived during oil-rich Nigeria’s 15 years of brutal and corrupt military rule, and democracy was restored only six years ago.

‘We reached a point when law enforcement and regulatory agencies seemed nonexistent. But the stance of the present administration has started changing that,’ said Ribadu, the scam-busting chief.” (Associated Press)