Nigeria Police has cautioned the public on the use of dating applications due to growing cases of sextortion, blackmail and cybercrimes.

Force Public Relations Officer, (PRO), Ademuyiwa Adejobi, gave the caution at a briefing on a recent case of sextortion, cyberbulling, character defamation, and blackmail in Abuja.

He said increasing cases of cybercrimes in Nigeria calls for caution among users of such apps.

“Nigeria police urges Nigerians to exercise discretion on dating apps In a digital age where connections and relationships are often forged through digital platforms, we are increasing aware of the importance of discretion and vigilance in our virtual interactions,” Adejobi said.

Citing recent cases of sextortion, cyberbullying, character defamation and blackmail by a user of one of the dating apps, Adejobi said caution must be a watchword while navigating the world of online dating.

“The incident in question involved complainants who like many men and women, sought companionship though a dating app and after months of communication, agreed to meet a young lady named Okpara Joan Chizaram who insisted on visiting his home.

The encounter resulted in consensual activities but little did he know that his trust will be betrayed in a most invasive manner,” apparently, Chizaram made a video of the encounter and began to blackmail the man in question with it.

The police revealed that following report lodged by the victim against her, it was discovered during interrogation that it was her stock in trade to meet men online, engage in consensual acts with them only to record the entire encounter and later use it for extortion.

The spokesman adds that “Upon the complainant’s courageous decision to report this heinous act to the Nigeria police force national cyber crime center, investigators took swift action leading to the arrest of the perpetrator.

“During the investigation, it was discovered that this was not an isolated incident because the suspect had engaged in similar action with other individuals she met through the dating app revealing a disturbing pattern of behavior which emphasizes the importance of exercising discretion and vigilance when navigating online platforms especially when personal and intimate information is involved.

In her confession, Chizaram said she met the complainant via a dating app and eventually agreed to meet at his house where she made the video to blackmail him hoping to extort money from him.

According to her, “I met the complainant in 2023 on a dating app and kept on chatting up until this year when we started chatting on whatsapp. He invited to his house, we had consensual knowledge and made a video of him.”

Chizaram has since been arrested by the police for further prosecution.

Giving further advise, the authorities say “To protect yourself from potential threats, we offer the following guidelines; maintain privacy, protect your personal information including your home address, financial details and intimate content. Do not share sensitive data with individuals you meet online until you are certain of their trustworthiness if necessary.”