Gay: Nigeria scores 98 percent to top list of nations with least tolerance

Nigeria’s anti-gay laws are becoming ever more draconian in statutes and jungle justice execution. In 2013 it passed a bill outlawing same-sex marriage, punishable with a 14-year prison term. “Nobody in the country is seriously asking for gay marriage,” says Stewart from the Kaleidoscope Trust. “There is no reason to legislate against it, when homosexual sex is already illegal. It also has more concerning provisions that ban the formation of groups that support LGBT rights and a series of provisions that if you know a homosexual but don’t turn them in, you are aiding and abetting. That isn’t on the statute books yet but it seems likely that it will pass in some form”. EDIALE KINGSLEY writes.

A new report from the Pew Research Center asked people in 39 different countries one question: “Should society accept homosexuality?” The 37,653 who took part in the survey responded with “Yes”, “No,” or declined to answer. The countries with the highest percentage of “Yes” or “No” votes show which countries are the most and least tolerant of homosexuality. And to interest you Nigeria scored a big 98 percent “No” to emerge tops of countries least tolerant of gay.

As a nation, the disdain for gay people, as seen in some recent cases is taken to the extreme. And most often ends in jungle justice. A lesson Fadeyi Bankole and Israel Efanga Udobang recently learnt the hard way. They escaped the jaws of death by the sheer luck of destiny that played to their favor. Apparently, Isreal and Bankole had succeeded in living secret lives as gay partners in their busy community at Ogba. After maintaining such underground relationship status for three years they soon met tragedy, when suspected neighbors broke into their apartment at midnight to discover them naked and in the act of lovemaking. But for quick instinct and tack-team move from the lovers as they force their way through the angry neighbors, it would have ended on a sad note.

Seemingly, there was a case of a student violated at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Campus recently. Where an eyewitness, recounted the situation as a horrible scene, according to the witness, he was pounced on by a huge crowd even as he followed them docilely. The hit him repeatedly with slaps as some dragged and mocked him. The degradation doubled as within some minutes the hostel had gotten more people thronging to the scene to join in the crucifixion. At the end of the day they dragged him to an empty class room in the university and continued to assault the young man who could only cover his face with one hand and the other he used to cover his private part ( because by this time he had been stripped). We can also recall the happenings in Delta state, where twenty one young men under the ages of 25 were arrested in Nigeria for being in a ‘gay cult’. The young men, who were caught with 122 condoms between them, were held in an Ibadan police station. When police flooded the house, the officers accused them of holding an ‘initiation’ into their ‘evil’ group. They had no formal charge against them, but relied on the presence of the condoms with no female present. They also claimed they received a tip saying the occupants of the room were gay.

The organizer of the event told officials that it was actually just a birthday party and they had nothing to do with any ‘cult’. All 21 were immediately taken into the police station.

Human rights organization The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIER) received a call on immediately started helping the young men. A spokesperson said: ‘At the point of arrest, the young men were physically assaulted and treated in a manner unbecoming of any legal process: they were photographed in their underwear, made to write statements under duress and locked up in an overcrowded cell.’ While the police wished to refuse bail and transfer the case to the state courts, a lawyer from the International Center for Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights (INCRESE) managed to allow them to pay for their freedom. The individuals were given varying bail notices, from N5,000 ($25, €22) to N10,000 ($50, €44). The organizer of the party had to pay N21,000 ($105, €92). They did not want to appeal against their treatment in case it would lead them to being ousted and branded as gay. While 11 had family and friends to bail them out, 10 were left in detention. INCRESE provided the fund for the bail, with the 10 then taken to a safehouse. When all 21 returned to the police station, it was alleged the police further extorted more money from each of them before they were allowed to leave. The TIER spokesperson added: ‘It is obvious that there is a need to create more public awareness and the need for victims to take up cases with solid support of the movement. Without this, cases like this will continue to occur with limited or no option for proper adjudication for justice.'”

We can also not forget the circus show that greeted our social media not too long, when some men suspected to be practicing homosexuality were arrested by their community men in Ekwe, a village very close to Umuka in Njaba LGA of Imo State. We learnt these gay men were caught in the act and arrested. According to eyewitnesses, they were allegedly molested by their community men. They were late stripped naked and tied in rope as they whisked them to the elder of the village. Gay right advocate groups in Nigeria condemned the act.

One of the cases that stand even more tragic is that of Akinnifesi Olumide Olubunmi who got beaten by a mob in Ondo which resulted in his death the following day. He was accused to be gay and some of those who knew him left some comments on his Facebook wall. One Ogbeni Ade Omo Ade, wrote: “End of a gay! This will serve as a lesson to all the people that loves engaging in bisexual, homosexual, lesbianism and gay”.

According to reports, Akinnifesi was a guy that everybody in the community thought was a responsible person not until his secret was revealed when he was caught pants down with honorable Dotun who was a serving supervisory councilor in Ondo west local government in Ondo state that he was beating mercilessly by Ondo youths that saw everything bad in a man, dating a man he was rushed to the hospital but he later died of internal bleeding due to the mob beating. Honorable Dotun was also accused to have committed a lot of atrocities by engaging in bisexual activities. As at the time of filing in this report, the honorable is said to still be on the run although his properties has being destroyed and his house and family’s house burnt. Adewale Victor, wrote: “Akinnifesi Olumide Olubunmi When I heard this news of your attacked in Ondo on Facebook I was so disturbed. I said it to myself, that can this be possible that you involved in gay practices? or it was a set up until I investigate the whole story. You disappointed many people including your family and friends. Though I don’t support attack or jungle justice on gay instead they should be handover to the police for proper prosecution in law court of the law. What police should do is to get the runaway politician involved arrested so gay will not be spread in the community and it will serve as a lesson to others.”