Two students murdered at Nigerian boarding school for being gay
A deadly consequence of Nigeria’s homophobia
Two students were killed by fellow students at Government Secondary School Bichi in northern Nigeria’s Kano State on July 14 because they were gay.
Hamza Idris-Tofawa and Umar Yusuf-Dungurawa died. Two other students were also attacked and had to be hospitalized to treat their injuries.
The attack was reported in the Washington Blade. using information from Dailytrust, a local newspaper in Nigeria.
Eleven students have been arrested. An investigation is ongoing.
Observers see the attack as a deadly consequence of Nigeria’s homophobic society, where same-sex relations are punishable by up to 14 years in prison and Sharia law enforcement in northern Nigeria threatens death by stoning.
The Blade reported:
Bandy Kiki, an LGBTQ activist, said the students’ death is a stark reminder of the risks that LGBTQ Nigerians face.
“The murder of Hamza Idris-Tofawa and Umar Yusuf-Dungurawa is not just a school tragedy, it’s a direct result of a system that dehumanizes LGBTQ+ people,” said Kiki. “While the local authorities in Nigeria have promised an investigation, we must also be honest, without dismantling the prejudice enshrined in law and policy, we will keep seeing violence like this.”
Consensual same-sex sexual relations are prohibited under Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act and the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act.
The penal code criminalizes so-called acts of carnal knowledge against the order of nature, gross indecency, same-sex unions, and LGBTQ advocacy with up to 14 years in prison.
In Kano and most other states in northern Nigeria that practice Sharia law, punishments for being LGBTQ or engaging in LGBTQ activities can range from 100 lashes if unmarried to a year in prison. A person who is married or was previously married could face death by stoning.
Kano Gov. Abba Yusuf last year ordered the Kano State Hisbah Corps, which is responsible for the enforcement of Sharia law and promoting moral norms, to crack down on groups promoting LGBTQ rights in the state.
Anietie Ewang, a Nigeria researcher in Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division, said the country’s government should adopt and act on recommendations the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review made on Jan. 23 that include upholding LGBTQ rights.
“On LGBT rights, member states called for the repeal of Nigeria’s 2013 SSMPA which criminalizes same-sex relations, the release of people detained based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, and for ending prosecutions on these grounds,” said Ewang. “However, Nigerian authorities including the Minister of Justice have continued to denounce LGBT rights.”
