The victims contact the team of activists with the blackmailers' names and photos. "If anybody brings a case to my table concerning any case of blackmailing of a gay person, I will hunt for them. It's a very big crime," he said, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity. "For me, there's nobody that is above law in the country. He works alongside a team of activists who pose online as LGBT people looking to meet a potential partner. However, some law enforcement officials are working with activists to stop the blackmailers.īBC Africa Eye spoke to an officer with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). "We don't have a heterosexual privilege to walk up to a person in the streets or in a restaurant and be like: 'Can I have your number?'" ![]() She said the gay community, which is forced to live online, has to be careful there too. Ms Etim said what makes it even harder is that the victims feel they cannot go to the police out of fear of being arrested or even attacked. They should not be allowed to come out.' And there's just no justice." "And it's the reactions from the other Nigerians. Sometimes we have the stories where a person has been lynched to death. "Every other day there's a story on the internet. Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim says some people celebrate the targeting of LGBT peopleįilmmaker Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim, who lives openly as a gay woman in Nigeria, said blackmail against LGBT people is "rampant". In 2014, media reports of violence, mob justice and extortion against LGBT people were common and activists say there has since been an explosion in kito cases since then. The new law, according to a report by Human Rights Watch "officially authorised abuses against LGBT people, effectively making a bad situation worse". The 12 northern states could already sentence people to death under Sharia, or Islamic law, for engaging in homosexual acts. The passing of the law had widespread support, according to surveys, and meant Nigeria had some of the strictest laws against homosexuality in Africa. It banned gay clubs, introducing a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who registers, operates, or participates in gay clubs, societies, and organisations, including supporters of those groups. It also criminalised public displays of affection between same-sex couples, imposing a 10-year prison sentence on those who "directly or indirectly make public show of same-sex amorous relationship". In 2014, the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act became law in Nigeria, and a new 14-year prison sentence was introduced for anyone caught entering into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union. After sharing out the money between them, the gang let him go. He lifts his hand to show the scar that remains at the base of his thumb from the attack. The gang did not post the video online, but they forced him to withdraw 500,000 naira ($1,000 £860) from his accounts and tortured him with an iron. They said: 'What's the name of the school you attend? Where are you from? What's the name of your parents?' I knew they were going to use that video to blackmail me. "They made a video of me, and they were asking weird questions. When he arranged to meet up with him, he was ambushed by a gang of around five men. ![]() There is an underground gay scene in Lagos, but those who take part have to be very carefulĮmmanuel, not his real name, described how he started chatting to a friend online, but had not realised his friend's account had been hijacked. Reliving what happened to him was just too painful. Mohammed broke down at this point, wrenched off the white hood, got up, hid his face and began to cry. Even if his father is queer, he has no issues with that. He described the moment when a phone call to his son saved him from ending it all. Speaking with a white hood pulled over his head and a mask to conceal his identity, he agreed to talk to the BBC as long as his anonymity was guaranteed. ![]() He had kept his sexuality to himself - outwardly he was a married man raising a family. When the video went online, Mohammed said his life fell apart. "I couldn't believe that someone I trusted could go to the extent of doing that to me." Jamal and the gang made a video of him, naked, begging them to let him go. Mohammed was about to get in the shower but once he had taken off his clothes, a group of men burst in and started beating him and demanding money. He said he had grown fond of him, even trusted him, and so one afternoon he met Jamal in town and went back to his place. They had been chatting for some time when he finally decided to see him in person. He was always careful when he planned to see someone - but one arrangement shattered his life forever.
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