By Bright Osamuyi
At the moment, Nigeria remains one of the countries which has rejected accepting LGBT within its territories.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Nigeria face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents.
LGBT rights are generally infringed upon; both male and female expressions of homosexuality are illegal in Nigeria and punishable by up to 14 years of prison in the conventional court system.
There is no legal protection for LGBT rights in Nigeria – a largely conservative country of more than 225 million people.
This is the reason why in several communities in Nigeria today, news permeates the atmosphere of people being lynched as a result of homosexual or gay relations. According to local community people, “It is alien to our culture, traditions and practices for same sex people to engage in sexual relations. That is a taboo.” Says Chief Arioba Ariawinde, a local Chief in Edo state.
For many Edo indigenous people, it was therefore not an incident to worry about when a lynching happens anywhere in the state as a result of suspicion of homosexuality or when culprits are caught in the act.
In Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo state sometime in November 2023, two females suspected to be lesbians were lynched, stripped naked and beaten to a pulp till they died.
On January 14, 2024 residents of Uroho community in Edo state also woke up to to a crisis that eventually ended the life of one Uma Daniel, said to be involved in homosexual relationship with his alleged intimate friend, one Dare Olabamiji.
According to findings from the community by our Investigative Desk, a yet to be identified lady had caught the two friends in an intimate relationship and had immediately drawn the attention of some villagers.
A resident, under the condition of anonymity told reporters that the alleged lovers were both almost lynched by the residents of Uroho community, who almost set them ablaze if not for the intervention of the local vigilante group.
It was gathered that one of the victims, Dare Olabamiji escaped while Uma Daniel was later confirmed dead on January 15, 2024 from injuries sustained from the mob action.
The Edo Police command confirmed the incident and said it had made some arrests with regards to the death of the victim while Investigations continued.
The Command Force Public Relations Department has warned the public to desist from taking the laws into their own hands and enjoins residents to report any civil disturbance or suspected acts of criminality to the police.
