from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – THE International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), the world’s largest aid network, laments that digital threats are accelerating at a pace communities can barely keep up with in Nigeria.
The concern in the West African country, which is the largest in the continent by population and is one of its biggest economies, comes at the end of the annual 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
This year’s theme was “No excuse for online abuse.”
The Red Cross reports that from coordinated online harassment and persistent tracking to the misuse of personal information, manipulated imagery and targeted misinformation.
Officials said these violations undermined confidence, eroded dignity and pushed women out of digital spaces.
In their most extreme form, online attacks spill over into physical harm, with consequences that can be fatal.
Gloria Kunyenga, Operations Coordinator of the IFRC, reinforced the call for cross-sector collaboration, noting that online sexual violence is not just a digital challenge but a full-spectrum protection issue requiring policy alignment, behavioural change and sustained community education.
Speaking at an event in Abuja on Monday, she said the IFRC was committed to supporting the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) to end all forms of cyber bullying.
Kunyenga feels the NRCS must create more awareness so that people understand that abuse was not just physical but could also take place in cyberspace.
“Online abuse is using the digital space to bully people, sending them unwanted and inappropriate messages,” she said.
Also speaking Abuja, Fatima Nasir, NRCS Director of Protection, Gender and Inclusion pledged the organisation’s commitment to building safer digital ecosystems.
She proposed coordinated prevention frameworks, survivor-centered reporting mechanisms and stronger public awareness to combat the rising tide of tech-enabled abuse.
– CAJ News