By Patience Ogbo/
Over 50 young men suspected to be gay were today paraded by the police in Lagos.
The state commissioner of police (CP) Imohimi Edgal who paraded the suspects at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja said they were arrested on August 26, 2018, during an initiation ceremony in one Kelly Ann Hotel cum Event Centre at 3-7 Adenrele Street, in Egbeda, Lagos.
Edgal said, “Information gathered by our men, based on credible intelligence from men of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC).
“It was revealed that some youths (males) will be initiated into a Gay/Homosexual Club between 1 am and 2 am. This is an action contrary to section 1 (1) of the Same-Sex Marriage Act 2014.
“Consequent upon this, operatives led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Shasha and that of Idimu stormed the venue at 2 am. On arrival, young men numbering about 80 were met in a hall taking different types of drinks including banned substance like Tramadol, Shisha laced with substances suspected to be Marijuana.
“The suspects fled the venue of the initiation on sighting the police. However, the Police gave them a hot chase and arrested 57 of them.”
The suspects said it wasn’t an all-guys party as the police claimed but that the girls arrested with them had been granted bail by the police.
Obailo James, one of the suspects, said, “I am a 20-year-old dancer. I had only gone to that hotel because a birthday celebrant had called for my services. The truth is that the police have no proof that we are actually gay. I am HIV positive and contracted the infection from mother to child. Since my arrest on Saturday, I have not been taking my drugs which is very dangerous.”
Wealth Olasunkanmi who is 25 and a graduate of Mass Communication from the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) also denied the allegation.
He said, “I am a graduate of Mass Communication from OOU, awaiting the compulsory National Youth Service Corps. I was invited to a birthday party at that hotel by a friend. I don’t know the celebrant.
“The truth is that the police just came to arrest us without telling us what our offence was. We are only getting to know that they suspected us to be gay during this briefing, which is not true. The allegation that it was an all-guys party is also not true. There were girls at that party. At least I saw about eight of them.
“The girls were in the rooms doing their make up while we were in the hall drinking. I am not gay.”
Edgal who spoke further on the arrest said the investigation into the case was ongoing. He also emphasized that the owner of the hotel must be arrested and brought to the command to answer for the alleged offence.
Father to one of the suspects, Mr Eke Ede, who had come to secure the release of his son but was told he was being held for a grievous offence said, “My son, Ede Ameachi, called his younger brother that he was arrested. The offence he is being held for is unimaginable.
“My son sells phone accessories. On the day he was arrested, he had told his brother he was going for a naming ceremony. He pleaded that the police should do a detailed investigation into the allegation.”
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