The unidentified woman went to buy vegetables for commercial purposes when the wild animal attacked her. A pregnant woman, whose identity was yet to be unconfirmed, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, met her untimely death after being attacked by a hippopotamus.
The incident reportedly happened along the old bridge crossing point of River Benue in Makurdi, Benue state capital.
According to an eyewitness, who preferred not to be mentioned in this report, the deceased went to buy vegetables alongside other traders for commercial purposes, when the hippopotamus attacked her at the shore of the river.
She was being ferried in an engine boat, which developed a fault and transferred to a wooden one. The attacked boat was said to have broken into pieces with the victim drowned.
The woman’s body was, however, recovered the following day of the attack.
Meanwhile, to protect women against abuse in the country, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has mulled plans to address the rising cases of online sexual exploitation and sexual extortion.
In a statement in which this plan was disclosed, NAPTIP’s Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye quoted the Director-General of the agency, Prof Fatima Waziri-Azi, as cautioning Nigerians against indiscriminate sharing of intimate content and private information, with friends and strangers.
“We all know that the advent of technology has brought about unprecedented opportunities for communication and access to information which has also created new avenues for criminals to exploit people, especially vulnerable women, and children.
“We have seen incremental cases of Child Sexual Assault Materials on the internet, child pornography; sextortion, and revenge porn, and these are all forms of sexual exploitation.
“This is why as an agency we must take a proactive and collaborative approach to tackle online threats. So, NAPTIP in partnership with some organizations has trained 20 Officers from the HQ to guide against this menace,” the statement added.
Waziri-Azi further revealed that NAPTIP went into partnerships with International Justice Mission, Meta, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau, National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and UNODC, to effect the plan.
