A Nigerian man has explained the incident behind a viral video showing him confronting another man over alleged sexual comments about a young girl at Garki International Market.
In a statement shared on Mazi Tunde Ednut’s X feed, the man said the incident happened last Saturday after choir rehearsal while he was at the market to purchase fabric for a client’s suit.
According to his account, he was walking through the corridor at Obasanjo Block when he overheard an older man making what he considered inappropriate sexual comments about a girl he estimated to be between seven and 10 years old.
He said the child was wearing a brown dress, carrying a blue Moniepoint POS machine and assisting with her mother or guardian’s POS business.
The man claimed that a woman nearby pointed out that the girl was a child, but the man carrying a red jerrycan allegedly responded with a sexually suggestive remark about what would happen if he took the girl into a room.
Shocked by what he heard, the man said he turned around and confronted the speaker.
He recalled telling him, “Sir, with all due respect, this thing you just said is very stupid,” adding that such a comment should never be directed at a child because she is a minor.
According to his account, the confrontation escalated when the man allegedly attempted to defend his statement, while other men around the area reportedly supported him.
He also claimed that another man commented on the girl’s clothing, questioning why she was wearing what he described as a “show me your back” dress.
The incident left him questioning why grown adults would view a child through a sexual lens.
He said another man also told him that the matter was none of his business and that he should leave.
Reflecting on the confrontation, he questioned when an issue involving a vulnerable child becomes “our business,” asking whether people would react differently if the girl were their daughter, sister or niece.
The man further explained that he did not know he was being recorded and had no intention of becoming the focus of attention.
He said he intervened simply because he could not hear such comments about a child and walk away.
“This isn’t about me being a ‘good man,’” he said, stressing that his actions were driven by his refusal to accept the sexualization of children as normal.
The video has since generated reactions online, with discussions focusing on child protection, inappropriate adult behaviour and the responsibility of bystanders to speak up when they witness potentially harmful conduct.
The identities of the other individuals involved and the circumstances surrounding the incident have not been independently established from the statement alone.
