The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has expressed concern over what it described as the growing connection between sexual and gender-based violence, ritual practices, cybercrime and other organised criminal activities in Nigeria.
The agency called on journalists to go beyond reporting rape and other forms of sexual abuse by investigating the underlying social, cultural, economic and criminal factors fueling such offences.
The Head of NAPTIP’s Press and Public Relations Unit, Vincent Adekoye, made the call on Thursday in Abuja during a two-day capacity-building workshop for journalists covering sexual and gender-based violence.
The workshop was organised by NAPTIP in partnership with the European Union-funded End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Programme and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance to strengthen ethical reporting and establish a dedicated SGBV Media Corps.
Speaking at the event, Adekoye said recent cases handled by the agency had become increasingly complex, with investigations revealing alleged links to ritual practices, cyber-enabled exploitation, grooming, blackmail and harmful spiritual beliefs.
“There is an aspect of rituals that is now coming into the issue of rape. Rather than just reporting the horrible incident, there are intellectual aspects that we are suspecting as an institution from what we see every day,” he said.
He said journalists have a critical role in exposing the networks and motivations behind such crimes instead of limiting reports to the incidents alone.
To illustrate the trend, Adekoye cited the case of a 16-year-old girl allegedly raped by a 45-year-old man in Abuja after she was reportedly groomed over a period of time.
According to him, the suspect allegedly gained the teenager’s confidence by pretending he could help her secure a husband before inviting her to his residence where the assault allegedly occurred.
He disclosed that the victim reportedly lost the ability to speak after the incident, while her family had spent more than N2.5 million on medical treatment as of Wednesday.
Adekoye added that investigators recovered the suspect’s mobile phone, which allegedly contained messages documenting how the victim was groomed before the alleged assault.
He said the discovery prompted investigators to examine possible links between some sexual assault cases and ritual-related activities.
The NAPTIP spokesman also narrated another case involving a man accused of repeatedly sexually abusing four boys working under him, including his own son.
According to him, the incident underscores the need for greater attention to sexual violence against male victims, noting that such cases are often underreported.
Adekoye further warned of the increasing use of digital platforms for sexual exploitation, saying cybercriminals now deploy sextortion and sexual blackmail to extort victims.
He recounted the case of a woman who allegedly lost about N7 million after an individual threatened to circulate her private photographs to her husband, relatives, pastor and colleagues unless she continued making payments.
The prolonged blackmail, he said, reportedly left the victim emotionally and physically traumatised before the matter was reported to authorities.
He also condemned the use of spiritual beliefs and traditional practices to justify violence against women, citing a case in which a man allegedly assaulted his wife after dreaming that she was responsible for his job-related misfortunes.
According to him, the suspect blamed his wife for losing his job after repeatedly arriving late to work, claiming a dream revealed she was behind his predicament.
Adekoye further criticised attempts by community leaders and families to settle rape allegations outside the judicial process, warning that such actions deny survivors justice.
“Were you the one that was raped? Do you know the pain of being raped, and you say you are coming as a community leader to settle it?” he asked.
He disclosed that NAPTIP had secured three life imprisonment convictions in sexual and gender-based violence cases and vowed that the agency would continue to pursue offenders through the courts.
The agency also urged media practitioners to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in exposing perpetrators and tracing the financial proceeds of cyber-enabled sexual exploitation and related crimes.
“We want to wage war using the media on them,” Adekoye said.
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