The high rate of involvement of Nigerians in the illicit and sacrilegious act of same-sex practice in the country, has been a major source of great concern to many as victims in their numbers have often times, been reported dead as a result of mob action against them, in their vain quest to give expression to a particular sexual preference.
Most often, the illicit act go unnoticed as consenting partners usually indulge in the unholy activity in their closet in order to avoid prying eyes.
It will be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan, signing into law the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of parliament on the 7th of January, 2014 into law, provided the needed legal impetus to discourage Nigerians from engaging in the sacrilegious act. But the implementation of this law against those who have such sexual orientation, hasn’t been able to discourage such persons from the practice of their sexual preference asserting gay rights, as many more who do so, device means of secretly indulging in the unholy and sacrilegious act to avoid being caught. But this is oftentimes not without very dire consequences when they fall prey.
However, the case of one Mr Godwin Igbinoba, a Senior Lecturer with one of the state-owned tertiary institution (name withheld) in Benin City, Edo State is one of a sad tale as his recent involvement with a male ex-college student named Lucky Uwa, has set him and his immediate family, on a collision course with the Nigerian government and that of the student, after the latter was confirmed dead owing to a mob attack.
The NIGERIAN OBSERVER gathered that the bi-sexual orientation of the said lecturer, was largely unknown until the 2nd of May, 2022 when he was caught in the act in a remote location of the Okhokhugbo Community in Egor Local Government Area in Benin City.
It was gathered that people in the neighbourhood, have been suspicious of the lecturer who according to an eye witness, regularly visits the location in company of his male partner, away from prying eyes.
According to the report, trouble started when on the fateful day during one of their regular visit to the location, unknown to the two; youths, mainly members of the local vigilante, comprising of members of different secret cult groups (mainly coopted by community leaders into the Vigilante group with a mandate of preventing crimes), were carrying out operations in the area, and immediately laid ambush when alerted.
According to our source, luck ran out on the two lovers, when one of the suspicious youths walked in on them, only to discover in utter dismay, the lecturer and his partner half naked, caressing and fondling each other.
The angry youths, according to the witness who craved anonymity, “discovering this high level desecration and sacrilegious act in their community, immediately called for backup, dragged the two lovers out, stripped them completely naked with no clothes on, before venting their anger on them.
The eyewitness recalled that Lucky Uwa, who was more at the receiving end of the violent torture from the angry mob, had had an earlier unresolved conflict with some members of the youth wing of the Vigilante who were said to be members of a deadly cult group known as the Black Axe Movement.
It was also gathered that while a section of the crowd called out for petrol and other inflammable materials to be provided in order to set the two lovers ablaze, some others resisted the call, knowing the implications, as they eventually opted to seriously manhandle both of them.
According to our source, one of the two male lovers-Godwin Igbinoba- managed to escape through a window at the back of the uncompleted building and was chased after by some of the youths who eventually lost him as he ran into a nearby bush. Lucky Uwa on the other hand, was not so fortunate as he was taken away, soaked in his own blood, to the house of the Odionwere (Community head) to report the incident of the desecration of the land by the duo of the fleeing lecturer and Lucky Uwa, it was gathered. Consequently however, the report continued, Uwa was said to have died from complications arising from the severe beating, before the arrival of the police.
Meanwhile, reports made available by the Nigerian police in an interaction with journalists in Benin City, stated that they received a distress call of a possible breach of public peace in the Okhokhugbo Community area by an annonymous individual, due to acts relating to same-sex activity by two males: one Godwin Igbinoba and another youth named Lucky Uwa who were apprehended in the remote area of the community.
The statement further stated that; while the other male was discovered dead upon their arrival at the scene, arising from severe beating he received from an angry mob, efforts were being made to net-in the perpetrators, responsible for the death of Lucky Uwa in the community. The statement further stated that the Nigeria Police in concert with other security agencies and the local vigilantes in the country, have concluded plans on ways and means to track down the fleeing lecturer.
Facts made a available to this paper, reveal that if caught, the fleeing lecturer risk a minimum of 10 years imprisonment for the violation of the relevant provisions of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Law which is a federal offence, even as local sources in the community equally revealed that family and relatives of the deceased victim, are threatening to launch an attack on the immediate family members of the fleeing lecturer over the death of their son.
