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The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has warned young girls across the country on the growing incidents of sextortion in the country.
He gave the warning in Abuja at an event to mark the International Girl-Child Day, organised by the African Girl Guild (AG, with the theme: ‘Invest in her, Empower her and Let her Lead.’
While noting that incidents of sextortion were on the rise in the country, Olukoyede disclosed that the criminal elements involved in the crime take advantage of the vulnerable moments of the female gender to extort money from them and urged the girls to choose integrity in their relationship with the opposite sex.
“Girls need to be careful about relationships and not fall into the antics of criminals and sextortionists. Integrity in a relationship will safeguard you against such villains. A girl with integrity will always outlast a girl with only make-up. Your integrity is your crown. Do not sell it cheap,” he said.
The Commission’s boss, who was represented by the Head of the EFCC’s Enlightenment and Re-orientation Unit, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Aisha Muhammed, further warned young girls in the country to stay away from cybercrime.
“If you engage in cybercrime; if you become an account mule for Yahoo boys; if you blackmail people online, you are not just committing a crime, you are destroying Nigeria’s image, the same Nigeria you will need for a lot of things,” he said.
Speaking on the need for girls to be responsible citizens, he noted that by making themselves available for cybercrime that girls often end up as tools of online blackmail by fraudsters.
“A responsible girl child reports wrongdoing, she volunteers, she respects the law, she knows that she is a stakeholder in Project Nigeria. As young girls, you must learn how to earn legally. Learn a skill, tech, tailoring, baking, content creation, coding. Not everything you earn is for squandering, save at least a certain percentage like 20%, know your needs and wants. Financial awareness is self-defence. Don’t let anyone use your account to commit fraud. That account in your name can take you to prison,” he said.
Self-reliance, he said, brings empowerment, adding that the girl-child can leverage it to attain a glorious height in the future.
“An empowered girl is not waiting for someone to rescue her, she is educated; she is skilled; financially independent and because she is independent, nobody can buy her conscience. That is why the EFCC has established Integrity Clubs and Zero Tolerance Clubs in schools across Nigeria,” he said.
“We want you to become ambassadors of integrity in your schools and communities,” he added.
Speaking on the need to invest in the girl-child, Denen Petronella
Executive Assistant to Jindu Peter, founder of African Girl Guide, stated that investing in the girl-child means giving her confidence, knowledge, skills, protection, mentorship and opportunities to be able to discover her potential.
“At African Girl Guide, we believe a girl should not only be prepared for her future; she should be given the confidence, support and opportunities to help shape it. She learns; she leads; she thrives. Our responsibility therefore is not simply to tell girls they can succeed. It is to help create the support systems that make that success possible,” she said.
As part of African Girl Guide commitment in ensuring the empowerment of the girl child, the launch of the AGG Camp Amani School Club was announced.
According to Petronella, Camp Amani School Club will give girls a continued platform “to learn, build leadership and life skills, develop confidence and explore opportunities throughout the school year.”
Participants at the events include representatives from ministries, agencies, departments, institutions and students from different secondary schools within Abuja.
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