Nollywood actress Mercy Aigbe has come out livid and heartbroken over the wave of disturbing material involving children circulating online, warning that a child must never be treated as content, a product or a source of cash.
Posting on Instagram, she wrote:
“I am honestly livid and heartbroken by some of the things I have been seeing online lately involving children.”
She did not mince words.
“A child is not content. A child is not a means to make money, gain followers, receive gifts or get likes. Our children are vulnerable, and they depend on us to protect them.”
The outburst comes as Nigerians react to a grim case out of Onitsha, Anambra State, where police arrested 36-year-old Anulika Onyeanusia over alleged child sexual abuse material involving her eight-year-old daughter. Investigators said the woman claimed the highest amount she made from the material was $300. Police said four children, aged two, three, six and nine, were rescued. The suspect is in custody and her husband is also being questioned.
Aigbe, a mother herself, turned that public anger into a direct charge at every adult watching.
“As parents, guardians and adults, we have a responsibility to put their safety, dignity and wellbeing above everything else. No amount of money, attention or social-media validation is worth sacrificing a child’s innocence.”
She closed with a plea.
“Please, let’s do better. Protect the children. They deserve better from us.”