Comment Re:Den of Scum and Villainy (Score 1) 209
The same could be said for Sicilians, for that matter. Or any other ethnic group/nationality with a reputation for corruption and/or organised crime.
I think the main reason is that Nigeria is chosen is because it is known for two things: having incredible wealth in natural resources (mostly oil) yet at the same time it's seen as one of the poorest nations in Africa. That disconnect suggests that a lot of corruption exists, thus setting the stage for believing that there really is someone trying to smuggle out millions in ill-gotten gains. It also sets the stage for believing that local officials are corrupt enough to let this happen. Something else I just thought of: ill-gotten wealth from skimming oil profits is also something I imagine sounds less risky than profits from selling, say, blood diamonds - less suggested risk of violent criminals looking for where the money disappeared to.