NITDA Warns Nigerians Over Rising Sextortion Threats and AI-Generated Explicit Images

The National Information Technology Development Agency has warned Nigerians about the growing danger of sextortion and the increasing use of artificial intelligence to create fake explicit images of unsuspecting victims.

The warning comes as criminals continue to exploit social media platforms, messaging applications, dating sites and online communities to manipulate, threaten and blackmail individuals.

NITDA said the threat can affect people of different ages, including children, teenagers and adults, stressing that the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence has made it possible for criminals to create convincing sexual images without ever having an actual intimate photograph of their target.

Sextortion generally involves a perpetrator obtaining or fabricating intimate material and then threatening to release it unless the victim pays money, sends additional images or complies with another demand.

The agency cautioned that victims should not assume that paying the person behind the threat will bring the situation to an end.

Instead, complying with demands can encourage further blackmail, with criminals returning repeatedly to demand more money, photographs or other forms of cooperation.

The situation becomes even more complicated when artificial intelligence is involved.

With increasingly accessible image-generation and manipulation tools, criminals can take ordinary photographs obtained from social media or other online sources and transform them into realistic-looking explicit images.

This means that a person can become the subject of a sexually explicit image even when they have never taken or sent such a photograph.

The resulting material can then be used to threaten, embarrass or financially exploit the victim.

The technology has therefore created a new challenge for individuals who may previously have believed they were safe simply because they had never shared intimate photographs online.

A publicly available photograph can potentially provide enough material for someone to create a manipulated image that appears genuine to people who see it.

NITDA urged Nigerians to take greater care with the type of photographs, videos and personal information they publish online.

The agency advised people to avoid sending intimate images or videos through online platforms, even when they believe they know and trust the recipient.

Digital accounts can be compromised, images can be copied and private conversations can be shared without permission.

The agency also encouraged people to review the privacy settings on their social media accounts and limit the amount of personal information available publicly.

Information such as a person’s full name, workplace, school, location, phone number, family details and photographs can potentially be combined by criminals to create convincing impersonation or blackmail attempts.

Children and teenagers are considered particularly vulnerable because fear, embarrassment and uncertainty may make them reluctant to tell parents, teachers or other trusted adults when they are being threatened.

NITDA stressed the importance of creating an environment in which young people can report online abuse without feeling that they will be blamed or punished.

Parents and guardians are also encouraged to have open conversations with children about online relationships, private images, suspicious requests and threats.

Young people may be contacted by individuals pretending to be friends or romantic interests before the conversation is gradually manipulated towards obtaining photographs or personal information.

In other cases, criminals may immediately threaten a victim and claim that they already possess compromising material.

Once a victim responds out of fear, the criminal may increase the pressure by setting deadlines, demanding money or threatening to send the alleged material to relatives, friends, classmates or colleagues.

NITDA advised victims who find themselves in such situations not to panic and not to continue negotiating with the perpetrator.

The agency specifically warned against paying money or sending additional intimate images in response to threats.

Instead, victims should preserve evidence of the interaction.

Screenshots of conversations, usernames, phone numbers, account details, payment requests, threats and links associated with the perpetrator can help investigators establish what happened.

Victims should preserve this evidence before blocking the account or cutting off communication.

After securing the evidence, the offending account and material should be reported to the relevant social media platform or online service.

The matter should also be reported to the Nigeria Police Force Cybercrime Unit for investigation.

The advice is important because deleting the conversation immediately may remove information that investigators could use to trace the perpetrator.

NITDA’s warning also highlights the broader problem of online privacy in an era when artificial intelligence can manipulate photographs and videos with increasing realism.

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission and international data protection authorities have separately raised concerns about AI-generated images depicting identifiable people without their knowledge or consent. (National Development Planning Commission)

Such material can cause serious emotional and reputational harm even when it is completely fabricated.

Victims may face embarrassment, harassment or threats from people who believe the manipulated images are genuine.

The problem is particularly serious when children are involved.

The misuse of AI-generated sexual content involving minors can have severe consequences and is a major concern for law-enforcement and child-protection agencies.

NITDA’s latest warning forms part of Nigeria’s wider cybersecurity awareness efforts, which are increasingly focused on threats created or amplified by artificial intelligence.

The agency has also warned Nigerians about other AI-enabled forms of cybercrime, including deepfake impersonation, voice cloning, social engineering and fraudulent digital messages.

Cybercriminals can use synthetic voices or manipulated videos to impersonate relatives, company executives, public officials and other trusted individuals.

The growing sophistication of these technologies means that Nigerians can no longer rely solely on appearances or familiar voices when deciding whether an online communication is genuine.

NITDA has urged citizens to adopt stronger digital-security habits, including using unique passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication on important accounts.

People have also been advised not to disclose one-time passwords, PINs, banking credentials or other sensitive information to people who request them unexpectedly.

Keeping phones, computers and applications updated is another important security measure because outdated software can contain vulnerabilities that criminals may exploit.

The agency has also cautioned Nigerians against uploading sensitive personal, financial or corporate information into unfamiliar AI platforms or public AI tools.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, the amount of personal information that people voluntarily upload to online services is also increasing.

Photographs, documents, voice recordings and other personal material can potentially become part of the digital footprint that criminals exploit.

The sextortion warning therefore extends beyond intimate images.

It is also a reminder that every piece of personal information placed online should be considered potentially accessible to others.

The growth of sextortion has become a serious international concern.

Law-enforcement agencies have reported cases in which victims were pressured into sending increasingly explicit material after criminals initially obtained a single photograph or video.

The threats can continue even after payments are made because the perpetrator knows the victim is afraid of exposure.

This creates a cycle in which the victim may continue paying without receiving any genuine assurance that the material will be deleted.

NITDA’s advice to avoid payment is intended to break that cycle while allowing law-enforcement agencies to investigate the perpetrators.

The agency’s warning also reinforces the importance of reporting rather than remaining silent.

Victims may feel ashamed or believe that reporting the matter will make the situation worse.

However, keeping the incident secret can allow criminals to continue threatening the victim and potentially target other people.

Family members, friends and trusted adults can provide important support, particularly when the victim is a child or teenager.

People who receive threats should also avoid confronting or attempting to track down the perpetrator themselves.

Online criminals may use multiple accounts, false identities and stolen photographs to conceal their identities.

Attempting to retaliate could expose victims to additional risks.

The safest approach is to preserve evidence, stop engaging with the perpetrator, report the account and seek assistance from appropriate authorities.

The increasing availability of AI tools means the public must also become more aware that an image appearing to show a person in an intimate situation may not necessarily be genuine.

This is particularly important when images are circulated online without context.

Sharing or reposting suspected explicit material can further harm the person depicted, even when the material is fabricated.

Nigerians are therefore encouraged not to participate in spreading such content.

Instead, suspicious material should be reported through the appropriate platform and, where necessary, brought to the attention of law-enforcement or data-protection authorities.

The issue also places additional responsibility on technology companies to improve safeguards against the creation and distribution of non-consensual intimate imagery.

International privacy regulators have called for stronger controls on AI systems, greater transparency about their capabilities and effective mechanisms for victims to have harmful material removed. (National Development Planning Commission)

For Nigerian internet users, the immediate message is clear: online safety requires caution before, during and after digital interactions.

A photograph that appears harmless today could potentially be copied, manipulated or misused tomorrow.

Similarly, an online relationship that appears genuine may be part of a deliberate attempt to obtain private information or intimate material.

NITDA’s warning is therefore not limited to people who have already experienced sextortion.

It is a call for all internet users to reduce the amount of sensitive material they make available online and to understand what steps to take if they become targets.

The agency’s advice to preserve evidence, refuse further demands, report offenders and seek assistance is intended to ensure that victims do not face the problem alone.

As artificial intelligence continues to develop, the methods used by cybercriminals are also expected to evolve.

Greater public awareness, responsible technology use, stronger privacy practices and timely reporting will therefore remain important tools in reducing the impact of sextortion and other forms of digital abuse.