Nigerian man reportedly killed over brother’s homosexuality

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Location of Nigerian capital city of Abuja. (Map courtesy of Oyibosonline.com)

Nigerian media have reported that a middle-aged man was killed in Abuja in a confrontation with youths seeking to kill his gay older brother. The truth of the reports has not been established.

The Daily Trust news website first reported the story, but added that a Federal Capital Territory police spokesman was unaware of the incident.

The Nigerian LGBTIQ website NoStrings stated that it will investigate and seek to confirm the authenticity of the reports.

“In the meantime, we are calling on all concerned to speak up against this very act, as we cannot stay back and watch this swept under the carpet of injustice as usual,” NoStrings added.

Published reports about the incident stated that youths in Durumi II, a slum in the Gudu District of Abuja, killed a middle-aged man named Joy over his older brother’s alleged homosexuality.

Joy reportedly was mistaken for his brother, Alex, who had fled the area in 2011 after the community’s youths threatened him about his homosexuality.

The youths entered the family home on Dec. 6, demanded to see Alex and then used an axe and other objects to attack Joy, who had recently come from Lagos to visit his mother.

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The mother said she was in the bedroom at the time. She heard the youths shouting, “Where is Alex? We heard he has returned home. Someone saw him when he entered this house about five minutes ago. He must die.”

The youths said it was their responsibility to “stop” any homosexuals in the community.

NoStrings said the incident was a vicious violation of human rights condemned under the constitution of Nigeria. It called for the perpetrators to be punished.

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