Young men, caught with
one-hundred and twenty-two condoms were held in an Ibadan police station last
week.
The men were twenty-one in numbers under the age of twenty-five they accused for being in a 'gay cult'.
The men were twenty-one in numbers under the age of twenty-five they accused for being in a 'gay cult'.
According to Gaystar news, when
police flooded the house, the officers accused them of holding an 'initiation'
ceremony 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 10 May and 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 5,000 Nigerian naira ($25, €22) to 10,000 naira
($50, €44). The organizer of the party had to pay 21,000 Nigerian naira ($105,
€92).
They did not want to appeal
against their treatment in case it would lead them to being outed and branded
as gay.
While 11 had family and
friends to bail them out, 10 were left in detention.
When all 21 returned to the
police station on Thursday (14 May), it was alleged the police further extorted
more money from each of them before they were allowed to leave.

Bunch of homophobics
ReplyDeleteNigerians should be able to live their lives the way they choose to live it. Some greedy leaders should be in that cell.
ReplyDeleteNigerians should be able to live their lives the way they choose to live it. Some greedy leaders should be in that cell.
ReplyDeleteChild marriage is allowed and gay is a crime, so stupid in a country where average people are literate.
ReplyDelete