Plans have been revealed by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons to address the country’s growing cases of sexual extortion and internet exploitation.
According to The PUNCH, this was disclosed through a press statement issued by NAPTIP Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye.
Before the launch of the Cybersecurity Response Team, the agency’s director general, Professor Fatima Waziri-Azi, was quoted in a statement warning Nigerians not to share private content and information with anyone.
It was also reported that the NAPTIP Cybersecurity Response Team was formed to handle all online exploitation situations.
According to the statement, Waziri-Azi also voiced concern over the irresponsible behavior of some people who share inaccurate information about themselves out of love and emotion.
“We all know that the advent of technology has brought about unprecedented opportunities for communication and access to information which has also created new avenues for criminals to exploit people, especially vulnerable women, and children.
“We have seen incremental cases of Child Sexual Assault Materials on the internet, child pornography; sextortion, and revenge porn, and these are all forms of sexual exploitation.
“This is why as an agency we must take a proactive and collaborative approach to tackle online threats. So, NAPTIP in partnership with some organisations have trained 20 Officers from the HQ to guide against this menace.
“NAPTIP in partnership with International Justice Mission, Meta, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau, National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and UNODC, trained the officers on Child Sexual Exploitation Materials, Open Source & Social Media Intelligence as well as Online Investigation.
“The Cybersecurity Response Team from different units and departments, is coordinated by the Head of the National Monitoring centre and will leverage on cutting-edge technology and expertise to identify perpetrators of cybercrimes within our remit.
“In addition, the unit is expected to work closely with other stakeholders in this space to enhance our collective response to cybersecurity and online exploitation challenges,” she stressed.
