By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
A viral video of an unidentified man allegedly attempting to lure a young girl hawking avocadoes with N1,000 for sexual purposes has sparked outrage among Nigerians on social media and raised concerns about child safety and child labour laws.
The viral video was captured by content creator, LordZeus, in a post shared on Instagram on Monday, March 16, after which he confronted the man.
In the viral video, the content creator was seen confronting the man, who at first denied the allegation and claimed to be the girl’s father.
However, the girl contradicted him, stating that he approached her and asked her to follow him to a secluded place so they could “touch body,” promising to give her N1,000.
She added that when she refused, the man brought out the cash in an attempt to persuade her.
During the confrontation, some bystanders pleaded on behalf of the man, claiming he was mentally unstable and alleging that the girl was not the first child he had approached.
The content creator also advised parents against sending young girls out to hawk, noting that female child hawkers are often vulnerable to predators and molesters.
He wrote: “Parents, please, no matter how hard life gets, do not allow your girl child, especially underaged, to hawk on the streets alone. Even if they must hawk, hawk alongside them.
“They are constantly at risk of sexual harassment, and many of them will never speak up. I’ve hawked before, so I know exactly what life on the street is like.
“Imagine if this man were able to manipulate the little girl with just 1,000 naira, this would be unimaginable.”
Reactions have since trailed the video, which has gone viral across several social media platforms, with some Nigerians calling for the enforcement of child rights and labour laws.
In a tweet on X, @ujunwa_ok said, “It’s time for all the states in Nigeria to make laws against child labour. Every child seen on the streets hawking or doing any hard labour should be taken away from their parents.”
@50_somtin said, “Instead of advising them not to send their daughters to hawk, why not advise them to come home early. If na only girls or just one girl the person get nko and can’t do the hawking by himself/herself.”
@TejuDuru wrote, “Underage kids who hawk are exposed to worst dangers ever, from kidnapping to raping and hit and run. Please be kind to them whenever you see them. They all have a story to tell if you ask them.”
Others questioned why the suspect was allowed to go without being handed over to the appropriate authorities, noting that the excuse of mental illness would only help in the perpetuation of such acts.
@BorellisX tweeted, “Very stupid guy, beating the man when he could have scattered him with the Timberland boots. March on his head, kick the bloody hell out of his pedophile life. It’s time someone seriously collected that timbolo from Lord Zeus. It’s for people who understand the assignment.”
@Bet28Money wrote, “That person shouting “aru adiro onyea” might be an accomplice. He knows something.”
@eskimrr added, “Notice how they quickly made up an excuse for him. Notice also how they quickly pursued the girl away. They are all complicit, and they didn’t come to save the girl but their man.”
@PriscilliaAmadi said, “As you can see in this video, there were more men who jumped to the pedophile’s defense – saying he isn’t well, while shouting at the little girl to leave and being unkind to her, etc. Enabling systems of abuse.”
