A video circulating on the social media platform X has sparked widespread concern after it showed an elderly man allegedly attempting to lure a 13-year-old girl hawking cocoyam under the guise of making a purchase.

In the footage posted on Friday, the young girl, identified as Adijat, was seen carrying out her usual hawking activity when the man reportedly called her over. 

The interaction, however, took a disturbing turn, prompting an eyewitness who observed the situation from a nearby window to begin recording and later intervene.

According to the video, the man engaged the minor in conversation, asking for her name before allegedly making an inappropriate remark by asking if she would be in a relationship with him.

“Will you date me?” the man was heard asking.

The eyewitness, who recorded the incident, subsequently confronted the man over the comment, questioning the propriety of such a statement directed at a minor. In response, the man denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was merely joking and intended only to buy cocoyam from the girl.

“No, no, no, I was only joking and playing with her,” he said.

However, when questioned further in the video, the girl maintained her account of the encounter. She stated that the man asked her out, and after she declined, he made additional remarks and claimed he would return with money.

“He asked me if I could date him. I told him he is too old. Then he said he is married and still breastfeeding. Then he said he wants to go and bring money,” she recounted.

The man, when asked to respond to her claims, denied the allegations, insisting that his conversation was limited to casual greetings and inquiries about her family.

The situation drew the attention of other passersby, who expressed outrage and condemned the man’s conduct.

This incident follows a similar report by PUNCH Online in March, where a man was allegedly caught attempting to lure a young girl hawking avocados with money for inappropriate purposes.

Relevant authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.