EFCC chair warns Nigerian girls against sextortion

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has warned Nigerian girls against sextortion and online fraud, urging them to protect themselves from criminals who exploit personal relationships to extort money.

Mr Olukoyede gave the warning in Abuja on Monday at an event organised by the African Girl Guide to mark the International Day of the Girl Child.

“Girls need to be careful about relationships and not fall into the antics of criminals and sextortionists,” he said in a statement by the agency.

Mr Olukoyede, who was represented by Aisha Muhammed, head of the EFCC’s Enlightenment and Re-orientation Unit, also cautioned girls against cybercrime, particularly allowing fraudsters to use their bank accounts to receive or transfer illicit funds.

“If you engage in cybercrime; if you become an account mule for ‘Yahoo boys’; if you blackmail people online, you are not just committing a crime, you are destroying Nigeria’s image,” he said.

He urged the girls to acquire skills that could help them earn a living legally, listing coding, tailoring, baking and content creation as options. He also advised them to save part of their earnings and learn to distinguish between their needs and wants.

“Don’t let anyone use your account to commit fraud. That account in your name can take you to prison,” he warned.

Sextortion involves threatening to share a person’s intimate images or videos unless the victim meets certain demands, such as paying money or providing more sexual material. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that perpetrators may manipulate children into sharing sexual images and then use threats to exploit them.

Mr Olukoyede said the EFCC had established Integrity Clubs and Zero Tolerance Clubs in schools across Nigeria to promote ethical conduct among young people. He urged the girls to become ambassadors of integrity in their schools and communities.

Girl-child empowerment

Also speaking at the event, Denen Petronella, executive assistant to Jindu Peter, founder of the African Girl Guide, said girls needed education, mentorship, protection and opportunities to develop their abilities.

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Ms Petronella announced the launch of the African Girl Guide’s Camp Amani School Club, which she said would provide girls with opportunities to build confidence and develop leadership and life skills throughout the school year.

“Our responsibility therefore is not simply to tell girls they can succeed. It is to help create the support systems that make that success possible,” she said.

Representatives of government ministries, departments and agencies, institutions, and students from secondary schools in Abuja attended the event.

The organisers held the event under the theme, “Invest in Her, Empower Her and Let Her Lead.”