Sextortion, trafficking: Consequences are devastating – NACAT warns Nigerian students

The Network Against Corruption and Trafficking, NACAT, has warned students against sextortion, saying the consequences are devastating.

NACAT’s Operations Manager, Stanley Ugagbe, gave this warning while addressing university students in Abuja on Thursday.

He urged students “to speak up when faced with online harassment and sextortion,” noting the devastating effects of silence on mental health.

Ugagbe educated the students on the importance of being cautious in digital spaces.

He shared insights on the recent case of the Ogoshi brothers, Samuel and Samson who were each sentenced to 210 months in prison over their sextortion crime.

He further stated that “the two brothers met their waterloo after a 17-year-old Jordan DeMay committed suicide following his inability to meet the demands of the sextortionists – a development that forced the FBI to launch an investigation which uncovered the Nigerian-based sextortion ring operated by the Ogoshi brothers as the mastermind behind the act.”

The manager noted that there are different kinds of Sextortion which include online harassment, blackmail and coercion.

According to him, “the consequences of Sextortion on the victim are usually devastating and they include emotional trauma, social stigma and financial losses.”

Expressing worry over the growing trend on sextortion in Nigeria, he averred that in July this year, Meta removed 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria over sextortion scams.

He quipped that this figure is a major reason for people to thread carefully on the Internet.

Bemoaning the scourge of trafficking, Ugagbe defined the act as the recruitment, transportation, or receipt of people through force, coercion, or deception.

While stating that sex, labour and child trafficking have become prevalent in the society, he noted that the consequences included physical and emotional abuse, forced labour or prostitution, separation from family and community.

He recalled a case of a lady who was trafficked to Oman.

According to him, NACAT was able to rescue the lady who has now returned to Nigeria.

Ugagbe stated that signs of sextortion or trafficking included unexplained changes in behaviour, withdrawal from social activities, and unusual financial transactions.

Offering online safety tips, he urged the students to be cautious with online relationships, verify profiles and identities, and avoid sharing sensitive content.