“IJGBs Started a War”: Nigerians Clash Over Alleged Credit Card Scam Claims

A Nigerian lady has sparked heated debate online after alleging that a group of IJGBs — slang for “I Just Got Back” Nigerians visiting from abroad — scammed local businesses during last December’s festive season by reversing payments after lavish spending in Lagos clubs.

According to her viral post, the alleged scheme unfolded when several returnees, who had “balled hard” in upscale nightclubs and lounges across Lagos and Abuja, later contacted their foreign banks to report the transactions as fraudulent. As a result, the banks refunded them, leaving the local establishments to absorb the losses.

“There’s a war between Nigerians at home and abroad,” the lady said. “Last December, IJGBs came to Naija, spent big in clubs, and then went back overseas, contacted their credit card companies, claimed the charges were fake, and got their money back.”

The claim, though unverified, has ignited fierce arguments across X (formerly Twitter), with Nigerians both home and abroad trading accusations. Many local users expressed outrage, calling the act “daylight fraud” and a betrayal of trust that could make businesses more suspicious of diaspora customers during the next festive season.

Others, especially members of the diaspora, dismissed the allegation as exaggerated, accusing locals of inflating prices and exploiting visiting Nigerians every December. Some argued that the narrative was part of a broader resentment between “home-based” Nigerians and IJGBs, who often flaunt foreign lifestyles and criticize local living standards.

The debate has quickly evolved beyond nightlife ethics to reflect deeper socio-economic tensions. For years, the IJGB culture — marked by flashy spending, designer wear, and a sense of foreign prestige — has been both admired and resented. While their remittances boost Nigeria’s economy, their occasional arrogance and short-term extravagance often draw mockery from residents.

Meanwhile, nightclub owners and hospitality insiders have quietly acknowledged that “chargebacks” — cases where international cardholders dispute legitimate transactions — have indeed become more frequent after major events like Detty December. These disputes are difficult for Nigerian businesses to contest due to weaker banking protections and cross-border transaction complexities.

Entertainment analyst Tunde Elumoye noted that the situation “exposes the fragile relationship between Nigeria’s nightlife economy and the diaspora elite who sustain it.” He added, “Every December, the IJGBs bring in dollars and pounds, but they also bring new cultural clashes. If this story is true, it’s not just fraud — it’s the collapse of mutual respect.”

Online reactions have since turned the story into a meme war. Some users joke that the alleged scammers are “playing smart, not hard,” while others warn that such behavior could ruin Nigeria’s reputation among global payment processors and make foreign cards harder to use locally.

As the December 2025 festive season approaches, club owners are reportedly reviewing their payment policies, with some planning to introduce ID verification for foreign card users to prevent similar scams.

Whether the incident happened as described remains uncertain, but the social divide it exposed is real — one between Nigerians abroad trying to maintain prestige, and those at home struggling with the economic realities they left behind.

As one user wrote on X, “It’s not a war between home and abroad — it’s a war between integrity and entitlement.”

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