Pamela Ephraim
A 29-year-old Tunisian man was looking for love online when he turned to dating apps. Shortly after engaging with a verified white female on ‘Ur My Type’, a new and free-to-use dating and social app that uses personality types to match compatible users with each other, he assumed he was dating a woman from Germany.
The Tunisian victim, who cannot be named, ended up exchanging explicit nude pictures with the “white lady” before the seemingly romantic connection turned sinister. The victim soon realized he was getting blackmailed by a Nigerian after he was contacted via WhatsApp. Subsequently, he paid $50 by Steam gift card to prevent the explicit pictures from being released. Yet, he is continuously being emotionally tortured and terrified of losing his job should the ordeal not end soon.
This victim is among the growing number of victims of online sextortion.
Sextortion is a crime where victims are lured into sharing intimate images or performing sexual acts. Criminals then use the photos or video footage in an attempt to blackmail their victims. This insidious form of cybercrime has taken Nigeria by storm, with more and more people falling prey. To this effect, the Nigerian police spokesperson in Lagos issued a public warning.
“If you must send nudes, at least do a one-view or cover your face or any other identification mark. And do not forget that video calls can be screenshot/recorded. For others, it is a clandestine recording of their intimate moments, of course without consent. I have honestly lost count of people, sometimes notable ones, approaching me about someone somewhere blackmailing and extorting them with their nudes. Trust no one. Take adequate precautions. Trust your instincts too.”
According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Sextortion/Sexual Exploitation is punishable in Nigeria under the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 (as-enacted).
The agency, in April, arrested members of a notorious sextortion syndicate in Abuja after intense surveillance and undercover operation.
Major victims;
Several major sexton crimes that had occurred in Nigeria are associated with celebrities even though some unknown faces might have suffered in silence. In a BBC r. In this report, five celebrities were named. In 2023,Moyo Lawal’s case also stood out. We continue to count.
Nigeria’s Image in Jeopardy
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the FBI complained to Nigeria about this matter and how it relates to the sudden death of a 14-year-old minor whose social media account was allegedly hacked into by a Nigerian man identified as Olukeye Adedayo Olalekan, posing as a young attractive woman to entice unsuspecting victims.
Olalekan was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 18-count charges bordering on child pornography, money laundering, and retention of proceeds of unlawful activities before Justice Tijani Ringim of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos. According to EFCC investigations, he used the nude images of the 14-year-old to blackmail him, a situation that led to his death.
In August, news about two Nigerian siblings who were extradited to the United States of America to face persecution for their involvement in sextorting 17-year-old American, Jordan DeMay, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, made national and international headlines.
