A Civil Society Organisation, Citizens’ Gavel has filed a Fundamental Rights Enforcement action at the Federal High Court of Nigeria against messaging platform Telegram, accusing it of failing to adequately regulate harmful content and protect users from online sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.

The group said the lawsuit follows findings from an investigation by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), published on its fact-checking platform DUBAWA, which identified 86 Telegram channels with more than 16,000 active users across several Nigerian states and university communities.

According to the report, the channels were used to circulate non-consensual intimate images, advertise prostitution, recruit vulnerable individuals, and promote sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Citizens’ Gavel said its own casework through Gbami, its sexual and gender-based abuse response initiative, has also documented similar patterns, including cases where victims were lured into online relationships under false identities and later had intimate content shared without consent

Lead, Tech-Facilitated SGBV Response Unit, Citizens’ Gavel, Rita Odafe-Ofarn, in a statement on Monday, said such materials are often further distributed across multiple channels and used for blackmail, extortion, and coercion into prostitution.

He alleged that Telegram’s moderation systems are insufficient to curb the repeated re-emergence of such groups, which often return under new identities after being reported or removed.

The organisation raised concerns over the increasing use of digital platforms for the distribution of AI-generated deepfake sexual content, warning that Nigeria has become a growing target market.

The group further argued that existing legal frameworks, including the Cybercrimes Act and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, are not adequately equipped to address the scale and speed of evolving online harms.

It also faulted enforcement efforts by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), describing regulatory action against foreign tech companies as largely ineffective.

Odafe-Ofarn called for stronger enforcement measures and is calling on Telegram to introduce improved content moderation systems, survivor-centred reporting mechanisms, and greater cooperation with Nigerian authorities on cases involving sexual exploitation and trafficking.

He urged NITDA to issue compliance directives to the platform, while calling on the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to step up investigations into online exploitation networks and establish specialised digital enforcement structures.

The group called on the National Assembly to fast-track legislation on online harms that would clearly define platform responsibilities and accountability standards for technology companies operating in Nigeria.

It urged the Inspector General of Police to ensure that reports of online sexual exploitation are promptly investigated by dedicated cybercrime units.

“Digital spaces should not function as safe havens for exploitation. They must be safe, accountable, and governed by standards that place human dignity above platform profitability,” the organisation said.