Nigeria: Police nab suspected gay man. Fine: $111
Nigerian police on July 2 arrested a man at a hotel bar in Asaba on accusations that he was gay, then negotiated a monetary payment before agreeing to set him free.
Police arrested Victor [not his real name] at the hotel after receiving complaints from a man who said that Victor bombarded him with unwanted advances and sent him obscene pictures on private social media chats, a local human rights activist told NoStringsNG.com.
The activist said Victor was lured to the hotel by the accuser, who had already booked a hotel room and invited Victor to join him there. Immediately on his arrival at the hotel’s bar, Victor was apprehended by police, who apparently were on standby.
Victor was then taken to the DSC Roundabout police station in Asaba, where he was held in a cell. The accuser demanded that Victor pay him 48,000 naira (about U.S. $152) as reimbursement for the booked hotel room, or 500,000 naira (about U.S. $1,588) if any third party apart from his parents got involved.
Victor’s family begged for a lower payment and the Divisional Police Officer [name withheld] agreed, setting a sum of 35,000 naira (about U.S. $111) to settle the case. Victor was later released.
Human rights activists condemned such coercion, which is a frequent practice in the country. Nigerians often take advantage of the vulnerable nature of LGBT persons due to the country’s hostility toward their sexual orientation.
Activists warn members of the LGBT community to be more cautious in their interactions with people barely known to them, especially those they connect with on the internet.
Related articles:
- Suspected Nigerian gay man allegedly abducted, blackmailed (June 2017, 76crimes.com)
- Ghana: Police make rare arrests in anti-gay blackmail case (April 2017, 76crimes.com)
- Nigerian LGBT website fights blackmail (November 2016, 76crimes.com)
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