TOFARATI IGE examines the antics of pranksters who play costly practical jokes on gullible Nigerians in order to make money.
“That day was the most terrifying of my life. My life genuinely appeared to be passing before my eyes as I believed I was going to die. Since I am their only child, I began to imagine how my parents would react if I passed away.
Gift Chidera used those phrases to describe her encounter with pranksters.
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It was clear from her reliving the event in an interview with Saturday PUNCH that it was still emotionally draining for her.
According to her, she was walking on a lonely stretch of road, when a man dressed in an all-black outfit and ski mask suddenly jumped in her front. The man stated that a woman had paid him to assassinate her (Chidera) for dating her husband.
“I had never dated a married man, and I pleaded with the stranger that it was a case of mistaken identity. I told him I was just a 200 Level university student, and that my parents took care of all my needs.
“However, he insisted that he would kill me, even as he pointed at a bulge in his trouser, which he claimed was the gun he would use to end my life. At that point, survival instinct kicked in and I was no longer thinking rationally.
“I told myself that even if I would be killed, I would not go down without a fight. I instantly made to run, but before I could even take three steps, I tripped on a stone and fell face flat, injuring my legs and hands in the process. The guy then walked up to me and told me it was a prank. By that time, I was agitated, my dress had been stained, and I was breathing irregularly. I was so upset and I kept raining slaps on him. He kept pleading and some people in the vicinity begged on his behalf. He eventually took me to a hospital where the minor wounds were treated. He bought me a new dress and gave me some money for lunch. However, for some days after the incident, I was not myself. Sometimes, I would wake up in the middle of the night panting and sweating profusely. It was really not a funny experience, and I hope that the government would do more to regulate their activities.”
There is no doubt that social media has provided a means of livelihood for many people. From comedians, who put their videos online and get paid in dollars, to a new breed of professional pranksters, who are amassing millions of views playing expensive pranks on unsuspecting members of the public, social media has become a place for creatives to make fortunes.
Inasmuch as those prank videos provide comic relief for some, the consensus opinion seems to be that they are becoming too expensive, extreme, risky and distasteful.
However, it bears stating that prank videos are, by no means, a new innovation. In some countries, including the United States of America, and even Nigeria, they have been a part of pop culture for some time. Popular prank shows and videos in and outside Nigeria include ‘Scare Tactics’, ‘Impractical Jokers’, ‘Candid Camera’, ‘Punk’D’, ‘Kraks Pranks’, among others. Most of the listed programmes were handled by media organisations, and were regulated by relevant stakeholders, especially in the broadcast industry.
But with the advent of social media platforms, which are largely unregulated in Nigeria, a new generation of pranksters have emerged, and in many cases, they throw caution to the wind and leave sour tastes in the mouths of those they play pranks on.
Some days ago, a prank video went viral on social media. It showed a young girl who had come into an apartment for ‘hook-up’ (prostitution). Shortly after she got into the house, a man dressed in red and white attire like a voodoo priest stepped out, and stated that she was to be used for a ritual. Expectedly, the girl burst into tears and pleaded desperately for her life. She was eventually informed that it was a prank; but not after she had been turned to an emotional wreck.
In another video that made the rounds on social media sometime ago, a driver signed to a ride hailing company had been seemingly contacted for a ride. When the driver got to the location to pick up the passenger (who unknown to him was a prankster named Abdulwasiu Jimoh, aka Kun Zlim), the supposed passenger put a luggage in the car’s trunk, and asked the driver to drive into the compound to carry some other luggage. However, the driver stated that he could not drive into the compound but would assist the passenger to retrieve the bags from where they were kept.
However, immediately he stepped into the premises, the gate was locked and two other men dressed like occultists in red and white outfits emerged with calabashes in their hands. The prankster then brought out an egg and told the driver that he had to put the egg on his forehead so as to exchange his life with that of the driver.
The unsuspecting driver was obviously agitated, and he pleaded profusely with the passengers-turned-ritualists to spare his life. While doing that, he also attempted to jump over the fence, desperate to escape and preserve his life.
After some minutes of a harrowing ordeal, he was informed that it was a prank. But, even at that, he asked for the gate to be opened first, before he could relax.
In yet another video that went viral, Kun Zlim approached an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, and stated that a friend had paid him to assassinate the traffic control officer because the latter impounded his car.
The LASTMA official immediately started begging Zlim to spare his life, stating that he did not know the friend Kun Zlim was referring to. After pleading for minutes and Zlim not budging, the frightened LASTMA officer attempted to run. However, Zlim then informed him that it was a prank. Out of breath, the LASTMA officer stuttered, “I don’t like this. You have given me hypertension (sic).”
Unsuccessful skit makers-turned-pranksters
One of the most popular pranksters on social media at the moment is undoubtedly Abdullahi Moruff, aka Trinityguy. He usually dresses in a white flowing robe (jalamia), and some of his most popular prank videos are the ones where he pulled the wigs and cleaned off the make-up of random women on the streets.
In an interview with our correspondent, Trinity stated that he started his career in the entertainment industry as a continuity manager in Nollywood but switched to playing pranks on people when he did not achieve desirable success in the movie industry.
Recalling how the journey started for him, he said, “I started making skits in 2016/2017. Before then, I was a continuity manager in Nollywood. Also, I used to mix funny videos together. I actually started playing pranks on people in 2018 by removing women’s wigs in public.”
Telling Saturday PUNCH how he makes his videos, Trinity said, “The length of time it takes to shoot videos depends on different factors. There are times that it takes four days to make a single video. There are also times my members of my team and I would be outside for as long as seven hours and not be able to generate any content. For some skits, it could take up to three days, to get the reaction I want.”
In a similar vein, Kun Zlim, who studied Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin, noted that he started his content creation career as a skit maker.
He said, “If I tell you it was easy, that would be a lie. At a point, I did not feel like making skits anymore. I then decided to be playing pranks on people. l felt like I needed to do something else. As a matter of fact, what encouraged me to continue playing pranks on people was that the first video I released went viral on the Internet. Suddenly, I started seeing myself (the video) on YouTube, WhatsApp and other social media platforms. Since then, I have kept at it.”
Peter Alabi, aka Trylips’ foray into being a prankster started from making skits too. According to him, he started making skits in 2019, though he was not consistent with it at the time. He stated that it was not until 2021 that he took it more seriously, and has been regularly releasing videos of different pranks since then.However, Trylips said people often exaggerate the dangers associated with prank videos.
He said, “People often exaggerate these things on social media. It is usually not that intense at the spot where I am playing the pranks. I don’t go out alone, as my crew is usually with me. Also, when I realise that the prank seems to be going too far, I put an end to it.”
Also accusing critics of being hypocritical, another skit maker, Daniel Onyemachi, aka Machigold, said, “Many people are actually hypocrites. They appreciate foreign content, but not those done by Nigerian pranksters.”