Funny though the subject is, for the 1% of us that take these messages seriously and can see themselves getting richer overnight, courtesy of the nice gentleman in Togo or Nigeria, there is an underlying element of seriousness.
Apart from clearing out one's bank account, the end game of this scam is to get hold of a warm body (yours) for the purposes of further financial gain. If one has been caught by the scam, be advised that the very last thing to do it is to go to Togo or Nigeria in order to further facilitate any transactions. Once inside the country, you will be coerced into some remote area from where you will quietly disappear until your family or colleagues have paid a ransom. Then you might re-appear, or perhaps not re-appear at all.