By Peter Nwokoro.
A suspected homosexual identified as Mr. Ezeneche Peter Sunday recently nearly escaped been lynched to death by angry mob in the Surulere area of Lagos State just as the authorities of Nigeria Police in the area who condemned the mob action noted that they have put a machinery in motion to arrest the suspect and if cut, charge to court and if found guilty punished heavily stressing that Nigeria laws are against homosexual practices in the country.
Newsmen gathered from sources close to the suspect who are residents of the area where the incident happened, that this is not the first time the suspect is engaging in the act as he has been practicing it since he came to the area adding that many people who knew the suspect knew that it was the main reason he was chased away from Onitsha where he was born and was doing business.
The same sources also told newsmen that the suspect picked up the practice from a bosom friend of his one Mr. Ugochukwu Ibekwe who helped him to revive his business which was badly affected during a fire incident that happened sometimes ago that engulfed Ochanja Market one of the numerous markets in Onitsha where he was plying his trade.
Another source who claimed to know the suspect when they were living together in Onitsha also told newsmen that many people knew the suspect as a gay when they were living together in Onitsha noting that he still remembered vividly when the young man was nearly killed in Onitsha when he was caught having a sexual affair with his male friend one Mr. Ugochukwu Ibekwe in their apartment and was exposed by his friend younger brother. The source continued to say that it is still in the open how all residents of the area in Onitsha trouped out to lynch the suspect but said that up till now he is still wonders on how the suspect escaped from death and eventually found himself in Lagos as we was thoroughly beaten to stupor.
Corroborating this, close relations and friends of the suspect contacted who spoke to newsmen on the condition that their names will not be mentioned, confided to newsmen that while living in Lagos that the suspect continued his gay activities stressing that they are not surprise that recently he was caught with the act when the son of the security man who was in charge of their residence caught him and one of his co – male tenant having a sexual affair in an open space in the yard in the early morning of that day. They stated that when the small boy saw them through the window of the suspect flat, he raised an alarm which drew the attention of the residents of the area who rushed in to lynch both the suspect and his lover but luckily for him, he escaped through the window after a lot of beatings from the mob and from there jumped the fence of the premises escaping through a bush path adding that up till now the suspect is yet to be seen or his whereabout known. Newsmen reliably gathered from most residents of the area that there is the general feeling among residents that any time they see the suspect that they will lynch him and burn him for committing an abomination which is against humanity and God.
Further investigation by newsmen also showed that one week after the incident that one of the suspect’s brother who has identical resemblance with him one Mr. Tochukwu Ezeneche who came visiting the suspect at his residence unaware of what happened was lynched to death on false believe that he was the suspect.
Reacting to this development, Mr. Johnbrown Okereke a human rights activist while condemning the dastardly behavior berated the Nigerian Government Authorities for their inability to protect lives of people who are endangered especially gay people noting that gay people have the right to living even as he lambasted religious bodies on meddling in personal lives of people in African especially in Nigeria and called for international societies to intervene and save people.
