One Killed, DJ, Two Others Escape Lynching After Attack on Suspected Same-Sex Party In Edo

A violent attack at a suspected same-sex party in Benin City has left one person dead, while a well-known local DJ and two others narrowly escaped lynching.

It was gathered that the said DJ with some other fun seekers were injured in the attack.

The incident occurred at a hotel located in a secluded part of Saint Saviour road, Off Upper Sokponoba in Benin City, Edo State capital about 2:17 AM on March 24, 2024.

It was learnt that the victim, Ogene Harris, a father of three, was fatally injured during the attack. According to reports, the attackers were part of a mob of angry youths who had been disturbed by the alleged nature of the gathering, which they believed involved same-sex activities.

Despite the attackers’ efforts to target DJ Friday Ezekiel and his two companions, Osayamen Dennis and Ovo Obuke, the trio managed to flee the scene. Their whereabouts remain unknown at press time.

Sources further revealed that, the angry mob thereafter turned their fury on DJ Ezekiel’s family home on Omomo Street, about a kilometre from the hotel, attacked and vandalized the house with windows broken and property destroyed.

The assailants, it was scooped had repeatedly accused DJ Friday Ezekiel of organizing same-sex parties in their neighbourhood as on that fateful night the youths decided to take the matters into their own hands, instead of reporting to the police.

When our reporter visited the hotel yesterday, blood stains were visible on the floor of the bar as relics of smashed glass doors and bottles littered the floor.

The hotel manager, one Chinedu Obinna who was taking refuge in a private residence near the ill-fated hotel declined comment stating that the incident is now being investigated by police authorities.

Contacted, the Edo State Police Command spokesperson, SP Chidi Nwabuzor said officers responded promptly to a distress call and arrested several individuals involved in both the violent attack and the suspected same-sex activities at the scene.

“The arrested suspects have confessed to their involvement in homosexual l activities at the party. The deceased, Ogene Harris, was reportedly brought to the party by DJ Friday Ezekiel, who also provided music for the gathering. No event centre across Nigeria has been duly registered as homosexual club, the hotel management will face legal consequences eventually”, Nwabuzor stated.

The police also confirmed that the party was suspected of being a gathering related to same-sex activity, which remains illegal in Nigeria. Authorities are continuing their investigation, and those responsible for the attack will face prosecution.

The police spokesman added that a serious manhunt has commenced for fleeing DJ Friday Ezekiel, 31, Osayamen Dennis, 27, and Ovo Obuke, 34.

The trio and the deceased were said to have attended the night party from a private residence at Omomo Street in the area.

“The police are fully committed to investigating this matter and ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice. We also urge the public to report such incidents to the authorities rather than resorting to illegal actions,” Nwabuzor added.

Our correspondent investigation revealed further that the clampdown on homosexuals and same-sex activities was intensified after the President Goodluck Jonathan – led federal government signed into law the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act in January 2014. The law stipulates 14 years imprisonment for any offender.

Further checks revealed that apart from the public unleashing jungle justice on anyone suspected or caught indulging in same-sex exploits authorities have also stepped up a clampdown on individuals or groups with same-sex orientation.

In 2022, 19 individuals were arrested in Kano for allegedly attending a same-sex wedding, and over 100 suspected homosexuals were detained during a wedding ceremony in Delta State. In 2018, 57 men were paraded by the Lagos police for alleged homosexual activities at a hotel in Egbeda.