Popular Gay Man brutally Tortured in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria
By Chibueze Ngwu, Enugu
A 36 years old gay activist identified as Onuoha Chekwube James popularly known as Miss J, Was abducted and tortured alongside with 13 other gay men in an in-house gay party which according eyewitnesses one life was lost due to internal bleeding after the raiding by local vigilante group.
According to eyewitnesses and local activists who said the attackers accused him of spreading Homosexuality and corrupting the younger generation of the village by his activities before beating him with metal rods and hitting him with the head edge of locally made hunters gun in which they use in operating the local community vigilante.
He was captured and mercilessly brutalized alongside other 13 LGBTQ members causing one younger member a severe painful heavy deep cut bruises on the head and right side of the chest which lead to internal bleeding that ended up taking his life the next morning, about 17 hours later after the incident at just 24 years old.
With Onuoha chekwube James ( miss J) now in hiding and on the run, some villagers said this has to be the Ninth attempt by the community authorities to take his life at any slightest opportunity and to eliminate him permanently which they believe will automatically end gay gatherings in the community as he is the most popular figure of the movement in the said community.
Human Rights Watch documented over thirty-three similar cases this year in Nigeria, where victims faced torture or death with little or no police intervention. LGBTQ organization condemned the attack, calling it a Stark reminder of the deadly consequences of homophobia.
Despite Nigerians laws against torture, authorities have not arrested any suspects. Police spokesman said the case is under review but activists demand urgent action as human rights groups are urging authorities to investigate the case as a hate crime but advocates says systemic discrimination continues to put LGBTQ+ individuals lives at serious risk around the country.
