NSCDC OFFICERS TRAINED ON DIGITAL DEFENCE AS ONLINE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN SURGES
✓ Gov Otu’s Special Assistant urges shift from civil defenders to digital defenders during 16DaysOfActivism
By Amawu, Cletus Albert Amawu
Calabar – In commemoration of the 2025, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Cross River State have undergone an intensive capacity-building session on digital protection and online safety, as technology-driven crimes targeting women and girls continue to escalate.
The training was delivered by digital safety advocate and Special Assistant to Governor Bassey Edet Otu on Gender Mainstreaming, Utibe-Abasi Bassey-Duke, who led participants through the theme: “Crime Has Moved Online, Why the NSCDC Must Evolve from Civil Defenders to Digital Defenders to Safeguard Women and Girls Online.”
Her presentation highlighted the rapid rise of cyber-enabled violence, including cyberstalking, online harassment, non-consensual image circulation, identity manipulation, financial exploitation, and other digital abuses now weaponised against vulnerable groups, especially women and adolescent girls.
Bassey-Duke stressed that the NSCDC must urgently recalibrate its operational posture to confront these evolving online threats. She noted that as criminals expand their activities into digital spaces, frontline security operatives require enhanced technological awareness and investigative capability to keep citizens safe.
“It was a wonderful and insightful engagement. The digital environment is now a major battleground for gender-based violence, and safeguarding women and girls requires proactive digital defence mechanisms,” she said.
The programme was organised by The Network of Young Men Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in collaboration with the NSCDC Cross River State Command. The initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen preventive and institutional responses to gender-based violence during the global 16-day campaign.
Bassey-Duke extended heartfelt appreciation to the State Commandant of the NSCDC, Cross River State Command, CE Okarazu (CC) for hosting and supporting the training, commending the Corps for its commitment to championing safer communities across the state.
The event further underscored the increasing intersection between technology and gender-based violence, reinforcing the need for modernised, digitally driven security approaches to ensure the protection of women and girls in online spaces.