The Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) has raised concerns over the alarming rate of sextortion and trafficking in the country.

NACAT urged victims to speak out as their silence can have a devastating effect on their mental health.

Citing the recent deletion of 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria by Meta over sextortion scams, the Operators Manager of NACAT Stanley Ugagbe said the figure is a major reason for people to tread carefully on the Internet.

Ugagbe during a sensitization program with the theme “Cyberbullying Menace: A Mental Health Issue to Career Growth. Depression and Anxiety Amongst Youth in Nigeria for Students of Baze University” held yesterday at the Faculty of Law, Baze, University urged the students to speak up when faced with online harassment.

The programme held during the ongoing Career Day of the University had experts discuss the impact of cyberbullying and its relation to mental health challenges among youths in the country.

Ugagbe who used the opportunity to unveil the organisation’s campaign tagged “See Something, Say Something” 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.

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

He lamented that sex, labour, and child trafficking have become prevalent in our society,

“The consequences of these acts include physical and emotional abuse, forced labour or prostitution, separation from family and community, highlighting the signs of sextortion or trafficking to include unexplained changes in behaviour, withdrawal from social activities, and unusual financial transactions,” he said.

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

While urging the students to speak up when they see or hear of suspected cases of sextortion or trafficking, Ugagbe noted that NACAT is always available to help victims overcome the situation.

Baze University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kathleen Ebelechukwu Okafor (SAN), also addressed the students, urging them to take their career choices seriously. She encouraged them to plan their future with clear goals, conduct personal SWOT analyses, and choose their friends wisely.

“Failure has no friends, but success does,” she remarked, reminding students to always evaluate their relationships and stay focused on their career paths.

The Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, was among the dignitaries in attendance.