A 13-year-old cocoyam seller’s sharp-tongued rebuff of an elderly man’s indecent advances has become the centrepiece of a viral video stoking fresh outrage over the vulnerability of child hawkers on Nigerian streets.
The footage, which began circulating on X on Friday, captures the moment the man — under the guise of buying cocoyam from the minor, identified only as Adijat — allegedly solicited a romantic relationship from her. The girl’s unflinching response: “He is too old.”
According to her account, the exchange did not end there.
She narrated that after she turned him down, the man disclosed he was married and still had a breastfeeding child, before announcing his intention to fetch money — a detail that alarmed those who later viewed the clip and drew immediate comparisons to grooming behaviour.
The incident only came to light because an alert eyewitness, watching from a nearby window, began recording before stepping out to confront the man.
When challenged on his conduct, the elderly man retreated into denial, claiming he had merely been joking and asking about the girl’s mother.
The explanation failed to satisfy passersby who had gathered, many of whom condemned his actions openly.
Adijat, when separately questioned on camera, calmly corroborated what had been filmed, showing little sign of distress but full clarity about what had transpired — a composure that many online observers found as striking as the incident itself.
The video has reignited concerns about a troubling pattern.
In March, a similar incident was reported in which a man allegedly attempted to lure a young girl hawking avocados with a ₦1,000 offer for sexual purposes.
Child safety advocates have long warned that young hawkers — disproportionately girls — face heightened exposure to exploitation given the nature of their work on public streets with little institutional protection.
No official statement had been issued by relevant authorities as of the time of this report.