Description
As a journalist and human rights activist based in Borno State, Mrs Kuje has spent years amplifying the voices of women and children silenced by conflict and inequality. However, her outspokenness has made her a target in Nigeria’s volatile digital landscape, where gender, power and visibility often intersect.
“During the course of my work, I have often faced online intimidation, especially when reporting on sensitive issues like gender-based violence and abuse of power. People send threats, insult me and try to discredit my work, all because I am speaking for the voiceless,” she said.
She recalled one frightening moment in 2022 when the Monday Market in Maiduguri was on fire when she went to cover the story. She overheard some people who recognised her from social media saying, ‘Isn’t that the woman who always reports gender-based issues?’ They almost attacked me. It shows how online hate can spill into real life,” she added.
The pattern is familiar to many women in Nigeria’s civic and media spaces. “These attacks are meant to demoralise and silence us. Persistent attacks on digital space also often lead to physical attacks. I have become more careful. Sometimes I keep reports for my newsroom instead of social media because I have to live to tell the story. I trade with care now,” she noted.
