The Kogi State Police Command has promised to take decisive action against technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), assuring women, girls and other vulnerable persons of stronger protection and improved access to justice.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, gave the assurance yesterday when he received a delegation from Protect The Child Foundation (PTCF) on an advocacy visit to the command in Lokoja.
The police, few months ago gave similar assurance when he received another Non Governmental organization, Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development, (PIBCID), paid the CP an advocacy visit in his office.
Kankarofi said the police would partner with PTCF to strengthen prevention, reporting, evidence gathering and investigation of cases involving the use of technology to threaten, harass, exploit or abuse women and girls.
“Technology must never become a weapon for silencing, exploiting or terrorising women and girls. The Kogi State Police Command will confront every form of technology-facilitated gender-based violence and work to ensure that women, girls and vulnerable people can use digital spaces without fear,” he said.
He said the command was ready to collaborate with the foundation to make reporting mechanisms safer and more accessible, improve evidence-led investigations and ensure that perpetrators face justice.
“We are ready to partner with Protect The Child Foundation. Together, we will strengthen prevention, make reporting safer and more accessible, improve evidence-led investigations, pursue perpetrators and help survivors obtain protection, support and justice.
“There will be no safe haven for those who use technology to perpetrate abuse,” Kankarofi added.
The PTCF delegation was led by its Programme Officer, Sarah Atawodi, who represented the Executive Director, Elizabeth Achimugu. She was accompanied by Lois Unekwuojo Sule and Matthew Olatunji.
The engagement was organised under the Girls in Technology Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by ActionAid Nigeria through PTCF as part of the Renewed Women’s Voices and Leadership Project.
Speaking during the engagement, Atawodi said the internet should provide opportunities for women and girls rather than expose them to abuse, intimidation and exploitation.
She urged women and girls to protect their personal information, identify warning signs, preserve evidence, report harmful accounts and seek help whenever they experience digital abuse.
Atawodi stressed that technology-facilitated gender-based violence should not be regarded as merely an online problem, noting that threats, harassment, impersonation, blackmail and the non-consensual sharing of private images could have serious consequences for survivors.
According to her, such abuses can affect the safety, confidence, relationships and livelihoods of victims and force them to withdraw from educational, economic and social opportunities.
“Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is not ‘just online’. A threatening message, repeated harassment, impersonation, blackmail or the sharing of a private image can follow a survivor into her home, school or workplace.
“It can affect her safety, confidence, relationships and livelihood, and may cause her to withdraw from opportunities she should be free to pursue. It is also a crime,” she said.
She called on the police to ensure that survivors who report digital abuse are treated with dignity and kept informed throughout the reporting and investigation process.
“When a woman or girl reports digital abuse, she needs to be believed, treated with dignity and kept informed about what happens next. The police have a vital role in responding quickly, protecting survivors, preserving digital evidence and investigating cases properly,” Atawodi said.
She said the partnership with the police was aimed at making the response to technology-facilitated abuse safer, more accessible and effective.
PTCF also highlighted the broader vulnerability of women and girls to gender-based violence, citing the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2023, which reported that 31 per cent of women aged 15–49 had experienced physical violence, while seven per cent had experienced sexual violence.
Atawodi said economic dependence and limited participation in household decision-making could further expose women and girls to vulnerability.
She also pointed to the digital gender gap, noting that women remain underrepresented in science, technology and ICT-related fields.
According to her, the National Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 report, Statistical Report on Women and Men in Nigeria, showed that women accounted for about one-fifth of Nigeria’s ICT workforce.
She said the International Telecommunication Union had identified internet access and use, digital skills and tools, participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and leadership and entrepreneurship as key dimensions of the digital gender divide.
PTCF called for sustained collaboration among civil society organisations, law-enforcement agencies, government institutions, technology platforms, communities, families and young people to prevent technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence.
The foundation stressed the need for safe and accessible reporting channels, timely support for survivors, preservation of digital evidence and effective prosecution of perpetrators.
It reaffirmed its commitment to working with relevant institutions to promote a safer and more inclusive digital environment where girls and young women can participate, lead and thrive without fear of violence.
