By RITA OKOYE and AMEH COMRADE GODWIN
Some Nigerians consider homosexuality of the male type stuffs of
fables. But in recent times, gays have been coming out of the closets
and are becoming more daring in their overtures, especially on the
social media such as Facebook, 2go, and Whatsapps chat-enabled
applications common to many mobile devices.
For those with their ears to the ground, rumblings and rumours about
gays and their damned activities are becoming ramparts in the city of
Lagos so much so that discerning members of the public can now pinpoint
some of the locations where they use as rendezvous for pick-up or
meet-up.
A Sunday Express investigations came up with credible findings that
indicate that a cluster of hangouts at Maza-maza, a densely populated
area at Mile Two along the Badagry express way is currently the beehive
of gay activities. Other gay enclaves include Agric and Festac, two
outlying locations along the same axis.
In the course of the investigation, Sunday Express encountered a gang
of four young men who could be referred to as “gay busters” based on
their confrontational encounters with the “men of sodomy.” Johnson,
Peter, Cletus and Ebuka (all students) who constituted themselves into
an anti-gay club shared their experiences with SE reporters. Their
experience is an aperture on the pervasiveness of this sexual cankerworm
that is gradually corroding the fabric of the society.
Cletus started with his personal encounters with a gay stalker.
“I am a fun-loving guy. I often go to hang out in notable
hotels in
Festac town during the weekend just to watch entertainers perform. But
to my utmost dismay, most of the guys there started making sexual
advances at me.”
The twenty-something-year old continued: “These are guys who ought to
have pretty girls by their sides. One in particular was quite
persistent. He is a famous Igbo gospel artiste-cum-actor,
fair-complexioned, he acts and sings like a woman. He calls me with such
endearment as “baby, my love,” and “sweetheart.” I was embarrassed
because it was so unromantic coming from a fellow guy.”
When Cletus failed to take the bait, the artiste raised the stake by promising him a smartphone, a N100, 000
cash one night stand and a tour with him to other states where he was billed to perform.
“When he was becoming obsessive with his calls and requests even at
ungodly hours, I had to call him to order, by threatening to report him
to the press if he doesn’t stop his incessant harassments,” he narrated.
Peter’s case was not so different from that of Cletus. He was
consistently harassed on 2go and Whatsapp, two mobile phone chat
applications popular among youths.
For Peter, the most maddening part of the episode was the noisome habit
of one of the gays who likes sending him pictures of his erect manhood
and other exposed parts of his body and also prompting him to do same,
after his promise of cash and other enticing material things failed.
“In the course of our chat,” Ebuka, recalled his encounter with a
Facebook gay, “he confessed to have been in the act for over 10 years.
Though he has a girlfriend, he hardly feels aroused whenever she’s
around him or touches him. Instead he feels a sensual chemistry for
fellow men and easily gets aroused when he feels a sensual touch of a
male on his body.”
In retrospect Ebuka reflected: “If I wasn’t careful enough, I would
have fallen into his snare. I must confess, his offer was really
enticing. And a student like me could do with such support. Another sad
thing about these gays, is that they like luring young and under age
guys living around Mazamaza and its environs.”
From these thrust-and-parry encounters with gays, the four young men
found a common calling: punishing gays. They formed an anti-gay club in
their neighbourhood. Subsequently, they set up some gays using a hotel
located at Satellite town.
Ebuka reconstructed one of their outings: “There was this particular
fellow who was disturbing me for months. I informed my friends about it
and we agreed to teach him a lesson. I finally accepted his overtures
and I invited him to come around. I told him to meet me at a particular
hotel where we have already booked for a room. He came from Coker, close
to Orile Iganmu. When he arrived he paid for the room. Inside the room,
I told him that my service fee would cot him N50, 000. After haggling,
we agreed on N20, 000. I insisted he took a shower and while he was at
it I made the bed. In his presence I stripped off my clothes save for my
brief. When he saw me, his manhood became erect and he became
impatient. He wanted to insert his manhood inside my anus right away but
I insisted he take his bathe first. When it was finally time for
‘action,’ I cued my friends and they burst into the room. He was caught
‘pants down, naked. We dealt with him. We seized his cloths. We had
wanted to create a scene, by parading him outside in the nude. But he
begged us seriously. He claimed he doesn’t know why he prefers making
love with male than with the opposite sex. Eventually, we set him free
after strong-worded warning.”
Their next encounter was with another “homo” who simply gave his name
as Biodun. This man of deviant sexual inclination from a reputable
family in Ajah, Lagos, confessed that he was born abnormal. In his late
20s, he admitted that while he has never had sex with the opposite sex,
he has had it countless times with boys even while he was still in
secondary school.
Biodun, who tried to lure Peter, was described by the latter as “a
terrorist on 2go.” His modus operandi was simple: he lures young boys,
mostly under-age to his lodge with cash and expensive phones. And those
who fell for his wile, were sodomized. But with Peter, he met a
homophobe, who together with his friends were on an anti-gay mission.
They framed him too, inviting him to the N4000 per room hotel at
Satellite Town. Boxed into a corner, Biodun was not only beaten, would
have been pushed into the street naked. But after a session of serious
begging, he was allowed to go but minus his valuables, notably his
high-end blackberry.
Girly voices, girlish gait, dandy dressing and over-the-moon reaction
to well-built guys – these are the tell-tales signs of a gay, but these
four young men are of the opinion that finding a gay now is as simple as
abc. “Just go to any cheap hotels and popular hang outs, even clubs
where plenty men dey,” Ebuka averred, “If you stay long, dem go come to
you, especially in this our Mazamaza area. The government should
urgently do something before these gays begin to kidnap, rape and
initiate more young boys, especially defenceless under-age.”
