NITDA warns Nigerians over rising sextortion threats, AI-generated explicit images

Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency issued a nationwide advisory on October 3, 2026, as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, warning that criminals are using artificial intelligence to create convincing fake explicit images without possessing any actual intimate content of the victim. The agency emphasised that sextortion, an online blackmail scheme involving threats to release intimate images unless demands are met, can affect children, teenagers and adults through social media platforms, messaging applications, dating platforms and online games, and noted that children and teenagers are especially vulnerable because fear and shame may prevent them from reporting abuse.

When offenders weaponise AI to fabricate intimate material that never existed, conventional content filters and human review miss the threat until a child is already under coercion. Guardii's anti-sextortion detection module, backed by Startmate and active across Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Roblox and other platforms, identifies the behavioural signature of escalating pressure, ultimatums and demands for imagery or payment in real time, flagging the conversation before a fabricated image becomes blackmail. By surfacing the pattern of coercion rather than waiting for a piece of content to be reported, the system intercepts AI-enabled sextortion at the point of contact and ensures that a child in acute distress reaches a parent, school safeguarding lead or law enforcement without delay.