“My life in danger ,” cries homophobic attack victim.
6 min read
Unimaginable shockwaves and homophobic mob fever have continued to engulf the LGBT population across Nigeria as harassment of community members has permanently remained a source of deep worries for human rights advocacy groups, law and justice institutions across Africa and beyond. Indications emerging from Nigeria which used to be referred to as the Giant of Africa regrettably show that the LGBT community has transformed to endangered species. On mere suspicions, young boys who are gorgeously dressed are often harassed by the police, soldiers and non-state actors and subsequently labeled gay criminals and seriously beaten up.
Umuaka Times investigations showed that from 2014, when LGBT activities were criminalized, uncountable number of the community members has either been beaten or extorted and at times inflicted with permanent injuries by the police authorities, the general public and faith based institutions. Considering the traditional and religious settings the country is battling with, several families whose children have so far fallen victims of the obnoxious human rights violations of this nature, decided to remain silent due to the perceived stigma. Several reports have it that in the last 5 years, not less than 8 Nigerians have been beaten to death as a result of their gayness and their families painfully decided to remain silent due to the dire consequences.
As an underdeveloped country in all spheres, millions of Nigerians see the members of the LGBT community as the highest sinners in the world who need to be killed for others to live peacefully. The country has a zero tolerance on LGBT activities. Local sources confirmed to Umuaka Times last week that some gay men have so far disappeared with no traces while others escaped death by whiskers. Mr. Ozor Chinelo, a Nigerian gay man in his 40s is one of those who miraculously escaped death by homophobic mob attacks about three times.
Trouble started for Ozor who recently joined a local church in Benin City on Friday, February 23, 2024 during a church vigil when the officiating pastor preached about fornication and other immoral activities by the youths and their consequences. At the end of his sermon, he called for people to give their lives to Jesus. Sincerely touched by the sermon, Ozor came out as the pastor has instructed and announced that he needed deliverance prayers. Openly, he confessed his sexuality to the church thinking that help would come. Instead of help coming, trouble came.
The pastor in charge who according to some of his members, is a well-known anti-gay preacher, was seriously annoyed by the confession from Ozor. In a fit of anger and bias, the preacher started to insult Ozor; he called him Satan and threatened to deal with him for coming to his church to corrupt and initiate other male members of the church to the deadly LGBT cult.
Terrified by what the pastor was saying, Ozor became highly uncomfortable and was immediately engulfed by fear when the pastor ordered him to lie face down on the floor. In Nigeria, many churchmen and religionists seriously believe that gay feelings are as a result of demonic possession of the gays who display sexual feelings to their fellow men. Ozor told Umuaka Times that at this time, he felt his life was in danger and he decided to escape from the homophobic dragnet of the pastor.
Umuaka Times reliably gathered that Ozor indeed escaped but the pastor ordered the youths to chase him and get hold of him. While running away from the church, security men on night patrol saw him running towards the dark end of a certain street and suspected that he must have committed a crime. They gave him a big chase. In less than 5 minutes, he was arrested by the security men who subjected him to serious questioning. As they were questioning him, the youth members from the church who were ordered by the pastor to get hold of Ozor arrived at the scene.
“At this juncture, I knew there was a big trouble for me because the church members would tell the security men that I was gay.”
Just as he had envisaged, Umuaka Times gathered that the local security men on patrol who had arrested Ozor were reliably informed by the youths of what had happened in the church. After hearing what transpired, the local security men never bothered to ask Ozor to narrate his own side of the episode. What they did was to give him the most tragic beating experience of his life. The youths from the church were also not left out as they joined in the beating.
Narrating his experience to Umuaka Times, Ozor disclosed: “I sustained several injuries and blood was gushing out from my nose and mouth. My offence was that I trusted the pastor who made me to openly disclose my sexual identity, thinking that he would provide a succor for me. Instead he ordered homophobic violence against me.”
Ozor later confirmed to Umuaka Times that after the beating, he was then taken to a police station with all the injuries he sustained where he was detained for two days without food or water.
While still in police detention, the news had spread to his family members, street and area on the third day. “The boys in my area accused me of trying to suck the blood of young boys through my gay activities. Words got to me that they have threatened to kill me if I ever returned to the street. Under these circumstances, I then knew that my entire life was in real danger.”
Ozor also told Umuaka Times that he never went back to his residence because all his belongings had been stolen by the boys of the area. “God saved me due to the money I had somewhere in town. I was able to withdraw the money and fled Benin City. This was after I had paid heavily to secure my bail from the police.”
Unknown to Ozor, his decision to flee Benin City to his home state of Imo, which is a state known for its strong appetite for homophobic attacks and LGBT discriminations, was the albatross he faced. Already, the youths of his community had heard of his involvement in homosexual scandals in Benin City and were waiting for his arrival in order to deal with him mercilessly. The day he entered his village in Imo State was the day his family, youths and relations made him to undergo another round of severe torture.
As a result of the danger he faced, his stay in the village was short-lived because he had also been rejected by his family, kinsmen and women. According to what he disclosed to Umuaka Times, the only option left for him during this era was either to seek suicidal option or seek medical attention. “I choose the later and went to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.”
The harassment LGBT community members face in Nigeria is really sad and terrible. Umuaka Times reliably gathered that nobody arrested Mr Ozor Chinelo having gay sex with his fellow man but a mere confession he sincerely made in a supposed house of God opened a Pandora’s Box upon him; His boss whom he works for, has sacked him, his street boys openly told the police that they would set him ablaze any day he is seen in any part of the state or beyond. Imo State which is his hometown has also slammed him with a death threat. According to him, his family, community youths and kinsmen and women have informed him that his presence was no longer needed in his Njaba community unless he wants to die prematurely.
In the concluding part of the interview, Ozor appealed to the outside world to assist the LGBT community members in Nigeria. “Can you imagine that I have lost everything? I lost my job, lost my very expensive phone which I bought recently, lost all my belongings and now I am about to lose my life. I have nowhere in the country to run to. All my enemies know me and I do not know them. Even my family members, kinsmen and youths have threatened to kill me and have ostracized me. European Union, USAID and others should look into the torture LGBT community members face on daily basis in Nigeria. I am lucky today does not mean that the next homophobic attack victim will be lucky also.”
