Model Fem Thrift and Friend Report Sexual Assault, Phone Seizure at Lagos Gig

A disturbing account circulating widely on social media has drawn national and diaspora attention to the safety risks young women face when pursuing opportunities in creative fields.

The incident centers on a 20-something TikTok personality and thrift vendor known online as Fem Thrift, who says an encounter that was meant to be a professional modeling engagement quickly escalated into a violent and traumatic ordeal.

According to video narrations widely shared on X (formerly Twitter) and other platforms, Fem Thrift, described as a roughly 6-foot-tall fashion influencer and student, was contacted by a man in his late 20s with a purported modeling job in Lagos.

The meeting was reportedly scheduled for February 8 in Ajao Estate, a major residential and commercial district in Lagos State. Some local coverage of the area has featured unrelated incidents, such as enforcement actions against illegal structures, but nothing ties it directly to this case beyond the location being cited by online posters.

Ms. Thrift and a friend reportedly arrived at the agreed location to explore the offer, a common step for many emerging creators seeking paid work in Nigeria’s booming but highly informal fashion ecosystem, which thrives on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X. Nigeria’s fashion influencer economy is rapidly expanding, driven by millions of young, digitally savvy consumers and content creators.

What followed, according to Ms. Thrift’s public testimony, was a sudden and terrifying escalation. She says the man locked the door after the women entered what appeared to be a private dressing room or studio space, produced a knife, threatened their lives, restrained them, and sexually assaulted both women. The assault, she alleges, was followed by the confiscation of their phones.

In video accounts reposted across social networks, Ms. Thrift recounts that the man accessed their personal Snapchat accounts, copied explicit photos and videos to his own device, and threatened to use the material for blackmail or extortion if they went to authorities or shared their ordeal.

As of this writing, no formal police report, arrest, or official statement has been made available in mainstream media, and efforts to verify investigative actions through Nigerian news outlets have yielded no confirmed reports.

The narrative underscores a grim intersection of trust and vulnerability in Nigeria’s informal gig economy, where opportunities often originate through direct messages and personal networks rather than vetted agencies.

Influencers and vendors like Ms. Thrift often accept meetings for brand collaborations or modeling gigs with limited background on organizers or venues. Online commentators have emphasized the potential for exploitation when formal safeguards are absent.

Social media users have responded with a mixture of outrage, sympathy, and precautionary advice. Posts calling for justice urge others to verify prospective clients’ identities and reputations, meet in public or well-known locations, and share real-time whereabouts with trusted contacts. Many also highlighted the broader risks associated with “private snaps” and the potential for sensitive digital content to be weaponized online.

Advocacy voices on platforms like X have pressed for more significant protections for young creators, recommending improved digital literacy and better reporting pathways. Discussions include references to Nigeria’s ongoing struggle against cyber-enabled crimes and sextortion rings — typically involving remote deception rather than the in-person violence described by Ms. Thrift — but they amplify concerns about the vulnerabilities faced by women navigating informal and unregulated sectors.

As social media conversations continue to amplify the story, many in Nigeria’s creative communities see it as a sobering reminder of the risks entwined with the pursuit of opportunity. Without independent verification from law enforcement or traditional press reporting at this stage, key questions remain unanswered: who the alleged suspect is, whether an official complaint has been lodged with police, and whether any investigation has commenced.

For Ms. Thrift, the ordeal has left a deep sense of fear that the alleged perpetrator could evade accountability. In her public videos, she has expressed a determination to pursue justice for herself and her friend, even as the story serves as a cautionary tale for countless others who rely on informal networks to build careers in modeling, entertainment, and online commerce.