<p class="isSelectedEnd"><strong>ONITSHA, Anambra State—</strong>The African Child Rights Marshal (ACRM) has called for a thorough, professional, and child-centered investigation into disturbing allegations of the sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor in Onitsha, Anambra State.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The call was contained in an official statement issued on Thursday, September 17, 2026, by the Nigerian National Commandant of the ACRM, Marshal Dr. Juliet Hassana Muoneme, PhD, following reports and video footage circulating online concerning the alleged abuse.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The Anambra State Police Command has reportedly confirmed the arrest of a woman in connection with the allegations and the rescue of four children, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident remain ongoing.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">In the statement, Dr. Muoneme expressed profound concern over the reported incident and stressed the urgent need for decisive action to protect children from sexual abuse, exploitation, and other forms of violence.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“Child sexual abuse is a crime. Child sexual exploitation is a crime. Child pornography is a crime,” the statement declared.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">She said the ACRM&#8217;s intervention was driven by its responsibility to defend children&#8217;s rights and amplify the voices of children who may be too young, vulnerable, or frightened to speak for themselves.</p>
<h4>A Child Is Not a Commodity</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">Dr. Muoneme stressed that children must never be treated as commodities, sources of income, or instruments for financial gain.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“A child&#8217;s body is not a commodity. A child&#8217;s innocence is not content. A child&#8217;s vulnerability is not an opportunity for exploitation,” she stated.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">According to the statement, no economic hardship, marital circumstance, emotional distress, cultural practice, religious belief, or personal justification can excuse the sexual exploitation of a child.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM National Commandant further noted that allegations involving a parent, guardian, caregiver or another adult entrusted with a child&#8217;s protection are particularly disturbing because children should be safest in the care of responsible adults.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">She emphasised that parenthood and guardianship confer responsibility and protection, not ownership or control over a child&#8217;s body and dignity.</p>
<h4>ACRM Warns Against Digital Exploitation of Children</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM also raised concerns about the growing role of digital platforms in the sexual exploitation of children.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">According to the statement, whether exploitation occurs physically or through photographs, videos, livestreams, messaging applications, or other digital channels, the abuse remains a serious violation of children&#8217;s rights.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“Those who create, procure, facilitate, record, distribute, transmit, sell, purchase or knowingly participate in sexual material involving children must understand that the digital world is not a lawless world,” Dr. Muoneme stated.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">She warned individuals who may attempt to conceal criminal activity through anonymous accounts, foreign contacts, digital wallets, encrypted platforms, or international networks not to mistake technology for immunity from the law.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM maintained that the protection of children must extend into the digital environment, where vulnerable children can be exposed to exploitation by individuals operating both within and beyond their immediate communities.</p>
<h4>Call for Investigation and Prosecution</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM has called on relevant Nigerian law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter, with the welfare and protection of the affected children placed at the centre of the process.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The organisation further called for all persons whose criminal responsibility is established by sufficient evidence to be prosecuted under applicable Nigerian laws.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">It also called for the maximum punishment permitted under Nigerian law for each proven offence upon conviction.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">Dr. Muoneme stressed that there must be no selective justice, intimidation of witnesses, or attempts to quietly settle allegations of child sexual abuse because an alleged offender may be a parent, relative, influential individual or member of a particular community.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“A child&#8217;s rights do not become negotiable because the alleged offender is an adult,” the statement emphasised.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM said accountability must be based on evidence and due process, while the safety and dignity of the children involved must remain paramount throughout the investigation.</p>
<h4>Public Urged Not to Circulate Alleged Abuse Material</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM has also appealed to members of the public who have encountered the disturbing material circulating online not to redistribute, repost, or otherwise disseminate it.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The statement warned that further circulation of abusive material could compound the trauma suffered by the affected child and may have legal consequences for those involved in its dissemination.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">Instead, members of the public were urged to report suspected child sexual abuse to the appropriate authorities rather than contribute to the further exploitation of a child.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM particularly cautioned against treating material depicting the alleged abuse as entertainment, curiosity, or viral content.</p>
<h4>Parents, Guardians and Caregivers Urged to Remain Vigilant</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">Dr. Muoneme also used the statement to remind parents, guardians, and caregivers that caring for a child is a responsibility and not a form of ownership.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“Parenthood is not ownership. Guardianship is not ownership. Being a caregiver does not give anyone the right to violate the body, dignity or innocence of a child,” she stated.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">She urged parents and caregivers to pay close attention to changes in children&#8217;s behaviour, unexplained fear, secrecy, injuries, inappropriate sexual knowledge and unusual interactions with adults.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The statement further called for greater vigilance over children&#8217;s online activities, including who has access to them, who communicates with them, and the kind of content they encounter.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“When something is wrong, do not silence the child. Listen. Believe appropriately. Protect. Report. Seek professional help,” Dr. Muoneme urged.</p>
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<h4>‘You Are Not the Crime’</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">In a message directed at children who may have experienced abuse, the ACRM National Commandant stressed that victims must never be blamed for the actions of perpetrators.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“You are not the crime. You are not responsible for what an adult did to you. Your dignity remains yours. Your future remains yours. Your voice matters,” she stated.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">Dr. Muoneme clarified that the ACRM&#8217;s position was not about attacking an individual but about confronting the broader culture and systems that may allow child abuse and exploitation to persist.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">She said the organisation&#8217;s wider objective was to promote a society in which children are protected not only after harm has occurred but also through effective prevention and early intervention.</p>
<h4>‘Society Must Become That Protection’</h4>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The ACRM called for collective action from families, schools, communities, law enforcement agencies, and digital platforms to strengthen child-protection mechanisms.</p>
<p class="isSelectedEnd">The organisation urged Nigerians to make homes places of safety, schools places of protection, and communities vigilant spaces for safeguarding vulnerable children.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">“Children are not commodities. Children are not content. Children are not instruments of profit. Children are not powerless,” Dr. Muoneme stated.</p>
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<p class="isSelectedEnd">She reaffirmed the ACRM&#8217;s commitment to promoting a Nigeria where every child can grow in safety, dignity, love, and freedom from exploitation.</p>
<blockquote><p>“When a child cannot protect himself or herself, society must become that protection,” the statement concluded.</p></blockquote>