NAPTIP Hunts Man Filmed Flogging Toddler in Viral Video

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has launched efforts to identify and locate a man filmed repeatedly flogging a toddler in a video that has sparked widespread outrage online.

The disturbing footage, shared on X by @NigeriaStories on Wednesday, shows the shirtless man wearing green athletic shorts as he allegedly strikes the child repeatedly on the head and body with what appears to be a charger cable.

The beating reportedly knocks the toddler onto a tiled floor, where the child cries out in distress. The man continues the assault as the child uses her hands to shield her head from the blows.

The man could also be heard speaking aggressively to the child and saying, “Ori ẹ o ma pe,” a Yoruba expression commonly used to mean “knocking sense into someone.” He later bends down and forces the crying child back to her feet.

The video has triggered strong condemnation on social media, with users calling for the man’s immediate identification and arrest over the alleged abuse of the child.

Responding to the footage, NAPTIP said it had taken note of the viral video and was working with relevant security agencies to identify, locate and prosecute the alleged perpetrator.

“We have noted the viral video and are working with relevant security agencies to identify, locate, and prosecute the perpetrator to the full extent of the law,” the agency said in a statement posted on its X account on Wednesday.

NAPTIP urged anyone with information that could help identify or locate the man to contact the agency through direct message, email at info@naptip.gov.ng or its 627 shortcode. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to protecting children and ensuring that anyone found responsible for such abuse faces the law.