Mob Attack in Lagos: Man Escapes Death After Being Accused of Same-Sex Relationship

A middle-aged man, Kehinde Azeez Jelili, of 3, Akeem Akinadejobi Street, Igbe, Ijede, Ikorodu, Lagos State, narrowly escaped death on March 2, 2022, after he was brutally beaten and chased out of his community over allegations of engaging in same-sex sexual activity.

According to eyewitness accounts, an angry mob stripped the man to his boxing shorts and paraded him around the community. He reportedly sustained deep cuts on his head and leg as a result of the assault.

The mob allegedly threatened to kill him if he dared to return to the community, questioning why he would be “involved in homosexuality” when, according to them, there were many women in the area.

Meanwhile, Section 214 of the Criminal Code Act, which addresses so-called “unnatural offences,” states that any person who has “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature, or has carnal knowledge of an animal, or permits a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature,” is guilty of a felony and liable to up to 14 years’ imprisonment.

Over the years, several LGBTQ persons and activists have been arrested under Section 214. In some reported cases, individuals have been killed, with law enforcement authorities showing little or no interest in investigating such incidents.

The attack has sparked widespread condemnation, with activists describing the violence as a misplacement of public anger. Samson Mikel, a Nigerian LGBTQ activist, said the attacks were driven by frustration rather than facts.

“All they want is to live and experience love. They are not the cause of the economic meltdown in the country, neither are they the reason there are no jobs on the streets of Nigeria,” he said.

Similarly, The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), a Nigerian advocacy group, called on the federal government to take concrete steps to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

“For many—especially LGBTQIA+ individuals, women, and those within the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression, and Sexual Characteristics (SOGIESC) community—freedom remains a distant goal,” the group stated.

“Discrimination, violence, and human rights violations are daily realities. Despite the progress made, the journey toward justice is long, but our voices remain firm.”

TIERs further urged the federal government to repeal the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2014, respond to the African Commission’s recommendations to review laws that criminalize freedom of association and assembly, and enact policies that discourage hate speech and actions that incite discrimination against LGBTQ persons.