36 Million Child Internet Users at Risk in Nigeria, Women Groups Warn

.Group pledges support for litigations in any form of child’s rights

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin 

A coalition of female civil society organisations and other women groups in Nigeria have urged the National Assembly to pass the Online Child Protection Bill in order to protect Nigeria’s 36 million child internet users.

This was as Country Representative of African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) Nigeria, Falilat Oluwatoyin Orire, has pledged total support for any form of litigation that would protect the rights of children in West African countries.

The women were mobilised by the National Online Safety Coalition to stage a peaceful march at the gate of the National Assembly in Abuja.

The coalition specifically urged the House of Representatives to urgently pass the Child Online Protection Bill before it. 

They also pleaded with the federal lawmakers to take decisive action to tackle the growing crisis of online child sexual exploitation and abuse which has put millions of Nigerian children at risk. 

The peaceful protest was tagged, #SaferInternetForNaijaKids campaign.

The coalition of mothers were joined by educators, technologists, gender justice advocates, and civil society leaders who demanded that the Nigerian children deserve a safe online environment.

According to them, data from the MTN and IPSOS, states that over 50 per cent of Nigerian children have experienced cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, or harassment. 

Spokesperson for the coalition, Shirley Ewang, said “The legal and regulatory systems meant to protect them have not responded to these threats. 

“With over 36 million Nigerian children now online, digital spaces have become an integral part of childhood, but they are also becoming increasingly dangerous. 

“According to recent reports, 90 per cent of children aged 4 to 16 have encountered at least one online risk, such as grooming, privacy violations, or exposure to harmful content.

“These are not numbers, they are children – your daughters, sons, nieces, and nephews. 

“We fail them by continuing to let the internet remain a playground for predators.

“While children remain vulnerable, abusers continue to operate with impunity. Only one in 10 cases of online child abuse results in prosecution, according to data from NAPTIP.

“Meanwhile, 80 per cent of abusive content remains online for over 48 hours, allowing predators to repeatedly exploit victims.  

“According to the Internet Watch Foundation, over 70 per cent of online child abuse materials are hosted on social media and encrypted messaging platforms, which children use every day.”

The coalition therefore called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the Child Online Protection Bill.

The group said the proposed legislation would establish critical legal protections and platform accountability for online child safety. 

The women also urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to enforce stricter content moderation and implement child-specific safety standards.

They called on the Federal Ministry of Education to integrate digital safety education into school curricula.

According to the coalition, countries around the world are already taking decisive action to protect children in digital spaces, and Nigeria cannot be an outlier. 

Ewang said, “African countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Namibia have introduced laws and regulations with provisions against child exploitation and abuse in digital environments. 

“These global standards reflect a growing international consensus: protecting children online is a non-negotiable public duty,” she added.

Meanwhile, Orire who is also Deputy Chief Registrar, Federal Court of Appeal, Ilorin  Division, stated this in Ilorin, Kwara State capital  yesterday on the sideline of the recent celebration of the World  Children’s Day.

The programme was jointly organised by the Kwara State Branch of the association and Horizon of Peace and Development Initiative with the theme: ‘Tapping the Untapped Natural Treasure’.

She said, “Today, we celebrate the joy and potential of our children, it is a day set aside to remind us of the joy, curiosity and creativity that each child brings to the world.

“This year’s theme, ‘Tapping the Untapped Natural Treasure’ carried a powerful meaning and indeed a good message.

 “Each child is a natural treasure full of potential, talent and unique abilities ready to be discovered and nurtured.

“Unfortunately, much of this potential goes unused or unappreciated.

“But imagine a world where every child is explored, encouraged and makes his or her dream a reality. 

“Imagine a world where your ideas, your dreams or your voice reshape the future but these are being trapped upon, it would hinder the realisation of potentials abound among children.”

Speaking on the theme of this year’s event, Orire said, “Tapping this treasure implies giving every child the right to education, freedom to express and the opportunity to grow. 

“It means creating a society where every child is safe, respected and celebrated not just on Children’s Day, but everyday of life.

“I would like to encourage all the parents, teachers and leaders across board work together to annex the richest treasure of all the minds and hearts of our children.”

She therefore pledged “a   total support for any form of’litigation in protecting the rights of our ‘Treasure Children” in schools and other places in the society.”